New online portal offers free training to furloughed workers

A new online portal is offering thousands of free-to-access online learning materials to those who have been furloughed or made redundant.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has introduced the portal in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SDS says the online portal offers people the opportunity new or develop existing skills through flexible online learning from 12 different providers across a range of subject areas, such as digital, languages, business and technology.

The site has been designed with the support of the Open University in Scotland.

More information can be found at My World of Work. As well as being home to a wealth of career expertise, users can access additional support using the CV tools and skills builder, to help with applications.

Minister for fair work and skills Jamie Hepburn said: “This is a great initiative from our key training and skills agency to help people who have been impacted by the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People who have been furloughed, or sadly, made redundant, who are worried about their future career or simply looking to learn new things or skills while in lockdown, can now do so safely and for free.

“The current situation highlights the importance of online and digital modes of delivering learning and training. As we look afresh at how we might deliver our public services in the future, Skills Development Scotland’s portal will connect people to free-to-access online learning, help them find the right course and improve their future employment prospects.”