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Public, private and voluntary sector professionals in County Durham and the Tees Valley are invited to sign up to free digital skills training – both technical and creative – following some quick thinking by Teesside University as part of its comprehensive response to Covid-19.

The Digital Skills for Growth programme is providing ten, jam-packed accredited courses set to take place online from 2nd March to 19th May. Including both half-day and full-day sessions, the courses are available to public, private and voluntary sector workers from any industry or size, including those on furlough.

Providing eligible individuals with the opportunity to immediately sharpen up their professional development, the courses cover a range of popular topics from coding, Power BI and digital marketing to art for games and film, data visualisation, animation and more.

Before enrolling on a course, there’s the option to try a one to two-hour online taster session. These sessions are also offered in subjects such as working with Microsoft TEAMS, programming a BBC Micro:Bit and the effective use of iPhone Shortcuts.

With an aim to support those working in education, the programme also includes online taster sessions that are dedicated specifically to teachers.

These short, sharp sessions provide educators with ready-made content to use in their classroom – including in remote learning sessions – and encourage students to think about a future career in digital.

Siobhan Fenton, Associate Dean (Enterprise and Business Engagement) in Teesside University’s School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, said:

“We understand that teachers are extremely focused on digital right now, and are working hard to provide the very best teaching resources to their students.

“With the bespoke training offered through our Digital Skills for Growth programme, we hope to be able to bridge the digital skills gap, address teacher’s digital training needs and offer free classroom resources.”

Siobhan added:

“The world in which we work, live and play is clearly changing and we need to keep up with technology in all aspects of our lives.

“Digital technology, particularly artificial intelligence and data analytics, have introduced revolutionary changes in every sector to enhance efficiency, increase productivity and reduce costs.

“The pandemic has taught us all how important digital really is, and getting ahead in your digital skills will help your CV stand out from the crowd.”

Anyone who completes the short, accredited courses will receive a University Certificate in Professional Development in Digital Skills Qualification.

If you would like to find out more, please click here.