Nelson and Colne College Group’s new Autumn range of courses for adults is out now – and there are more online learning options available than ever before to support the county’s adult learners.

The new offer delivered by the College Group – consisting of Lancashire Adult Learning, Nelson and Colne College and Accrington and Rossendale College – is a blend of online learning and classroom sessions in College or community venues across Lancashire, where safe to do so.

The range of provision in the new guide is also vast, to meet an ever-changing employment landscape and lifestyle in the digital age – and these are split into four distinct areas: Skills for Work; Community Learning; Professional Skills and Higher Education.

Skills for Work provision includes improving employability skills through 1:1 support on perfecting online job applications, CV development and interview preparation.

LAL’s free Functional Skills qualifications in English, Maths, ICT and ESOL are also part of the Skills for Work provision – of which the first two can be achieved in just 10 weeks on a new fast-track course designed so learners can achieve from the comfort of their own homes.

Complementing LAL’s new fast-track English and Maths offer are brand new Essential Digital Skills courses available to learners across the county, complete with a qualification where needed.

Also free, these courses will equip adults with the digital skills needed for life, work and study. They are designed to cover key digital areas including communicating, handling information and content, transacting, problem solving and being safe and legal online.

Lancashire Adult Learning’s community learning courses are also a highlight of the Autumn offer – including free dedicated family learning support for parents who may want to continue teaching their children vital skills for their future or keep up to date with how their children are learning in school. There is also a wide range of Health and Wellbeing, Arts and Media and Humanities and Languages courses for learners across Lancashire to learn a new skill or develop a hobby.

Professional Skills is another expanded provision area in the offer, with sector specific courses in Accountancy, Hair and Beauty, Health and Social Care, Teaching and more designed to develop CVs, enable a change in career path or advance knowledge in a particular sector.

The fourth strand to the new adult offer is the Higher Education provision offered through the Nelson and Colne College Group University Centre’s two campuses – Accrington and Rossendale College and Nelson and Colne College. The range of courses are aligned to the needs of East Lancashire’s industry an employment sectors and the courses are aimed at those seeking to fast-track their career and earning potential.

Andrew Parkin, Assistant Principal for Adult Learning at Nelson and Colne College Group, said: “We’re extremely proud that through our College Group we are able to offer adults across Lancashire a fantastic range of courses to boost their employment prospects, support an aspiration or develop a hobby or interest.

“The safety of our learners remains our number one priority during this time, and as such we are pleased to have been able to adapt to the current climate and to invest in a high quality online learning experience for more courses than ever before.

“For those looking to upskill for a career change, futureproof and consolidate their position in an existing career, or improve their employment prospects with a Functional Skills qualification, there has never been a better time to do this. I’m delighted that our comprehensive provision offer for adult learners has something of interest for everybody.”

Further information about Lancashire Adult Learning can be found at www.lal.ac.uk or by calling 0333 003 1717.