Another 200 free places are being offered on short courses at Aberdeen University – as the institution plays its part in helping people find new work after Covid.
Nearly 500 people have already benefited from the scheme launched, taking on 36 courses in August at no cost.
The final phase, worth more than £205,000, opened yesterday for applications for courses in May and June.
The part-time courses are designed to fit around full time work and will enable people to study with expert academics, add postgraduate skills to their CV and earn university credits they can build up into postgraduate qualifications, including masters’ degrees.
Focused on helping people find new jobs, subjects offered range from decommissioning, project planning, leadership and management, to financial technology and big data, health and wellbeing and others.
Marcus Herbert, an experienced energy industry worker living in Aberdeen, was made redundant last year, before taking a place on a decommissioning course in September.
He said: “The opportunity to study online couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It introduced structure to my day that was missing due to both my personal circumstances and everything else that was going on around me.
“Now I’m having conversations with potential employers about my studies and that has been really well received.”
The university’s academic services director, Gillian Mackintosh, added: “We are delighted at the exceptional response we have had to each phase of the scheme.
“We hope this third and final phase will result in an equally positive response, especially as we have been given extra funding to support those who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment due to Covid.”
Applications close on March 22.