ESF-backed courses at Sunderland Uni are short , fullyfunded and transformational

Impressive – the University of Sunderland ’ s picturesque campus overlooking the River Wear .

The courses – delivered through the European Social Fund Project – aim to support North-East businesses through workforce skills development .

Funded by ESF , the range of courses is vast , with subjects including business , engineering , health , media , teaching , social work , investigation , leadership and psychology .

They have been specifically designed by the university to run at various stages throughout the year , with a set number of places available .

And what they all have in common – as well as being funded - is that they ’ re designed to enhance local workforces and build skills for the future .

The university is the lead , and a delivery partner , of the seven-strong North East Workforce Skills Programme Consortium , which will deliver an ESF programme to support 17,560 employed participants by September 2023 .

The programme ’ s objective is simple : to improve employment opportunities and promote education , skills and lifelong learning within Northumberland and Tyne and Wear within businesses in the North East LEP ( Local Enterprise Partnerships ) area .

The project doesn ’ t require any cash match from employers . And while the courses are free to join , benefits to employers could be huge , with CPD requirements being addressed , funding available to all staff ( not just apprentices ) and an upskilled workforce through a wide variety of university programmes .

Most of the courses are Level 6 or 7 , so students emerge with either a university certificate of achievement ( with a credit value ) or a university certificate of attendance for all non-credit bearing programmes .

An example of the type of ESF-funded study opportunities Sunderland offers is a series of work-based learning business leadership courses – from a three day unaccredited “ introduction to leadership ” workshop to a brace of 12 month ( one on campus day per month ) Level 7 courses , “ leadership and transformation ” and “ leadership and change ”. A series of online masterclasses are also available , covering coaching , leadership and emotional intelligence .

Senior lecturer Ian Carr said the courses are ideal for a range of students – from those not yet in a leadership position to experienced leaders who want to develop their skills .

And he believes Sunderland is the perfect place to run such courses , with supportive staff stressing to students “ your success is our success .”

But what should people consider before taking on a work-based learning course ? He

For more about the courses , visit sunderland . ac . uk / esf or better still email the team for more on esf @ sunderland . ac . uk .

said : “ Ask yourself where am I now , where do I want to be and how am I going to get there ? Asking those questions is a key to making the decision to exploring what these courses are all about .”

More than 100 ESF fully-funded short courses are currently available at the university . They provide the opportunity for individuals who work in a variety of sectors such as healthcare , digital and technology , engineering , business and leadership , media and education to achieve personal goals and aspirations .

Businesses are entitled to two funded places on each course , as long as they are in the North East LEP area .

Head of work-based learning , Hazel Rounthwaite , said : “ We are proud to be part of the ESF Workforce Skills Consortium and excited to work with employers to provide work-based learning solutions to upskill the workforce withing the North-East with this unique project .

“ The suite of CPD programmes for the EFS Project has been developed in collaboration with employers and academics to ensure that the design and delivery of the programmes meets the requirements of the North-East workforce .

“ We look forward to working with our existing employers and welcoming many new ones throughout the duration of this project .”

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