Free online courses are being made available to businesses and workers on the coast.

Free online courses are being made available to businesses and workers on the Greater Lincolnshire coast as the economy begins to recover and move out of lockdown.

The courses are being co-ordinated and funded by the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership using Coastal Communities Funding and replace planned classroom courses which have had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.

Courses cover a range of subjects including customer service, food safety, ICT, mental health awareness, word processing and email.

They are open to all workers in coastal areas, including those who have been furloughed.

“As part of our rapid response to COVID-19 and the cancellation of all classroom-based training, our delivery partners are offering selected online courses to employers and their staff, including those who are furloughed, on a fully funded basis,” said Nicola Radford, Senior Commissioning Officer at Lincolnshire County Council.  

“Originally this funding was going to be used to address skills gaps in in the coastal visitor economy in the off season, when employers have more time and scope to train employees.

“The pandemic has changed our focus but thanks to technology we are still able to provide free online courses which will be a welcome boost for businesses in the visitor economy.”

Courses that are being offered are as follows:

Boston College

Customer Service For All

Monday 6th July – 10am and 2pm
Wednesday 8th July – 10am
Tuesday 14th July – 10am and 2pm

Equality and Diversity Champions

Monday 6th July – 9am
Tuesday 14th July – 9am

These are free one-day courses that include a live introduction by the tutor followed by individual workbooks with tutor support if necessary. It is expected that people will complete the course on the same day. 

To find out more email Rebecc-c@boston.ac.uk.

The NCC Training Academy

These bite-sized online courses are accessible at any time:

  • Health and Safety: Managing Safety / Legionella / COSHH / Risk Assessment / Fire Safety / Manual Handling
  • Technical: Closedown of Unoccupied Holiday Homes / Siting Overview for Park Managers* / Electrical Safe Isolation Procedures*
  • Acts and Licences: GDPR / Consumer Rights / Equality / Gambling / Bribery / Entertainment and Alcohol - short introductions to statutory and licensing regulations

All courses are fully funded and available immediately except for those marked with an asterisk which are still in development. They are not limited to holiday park businesses; many will transfer easily across the visitor economy.

All those who successfully complete a topic will receive a certificate of achievement from the NCC Training Academy. Employees can access any course and businesses can enrol staff at any level to boost existing knowledge and skills or to provide new opportunities for frontline staff, including those on furlough.

Visit the website to find out more and book online. Remember to select the Lincolnshire Coastal Communities Funding box to ensure your applications are free. 

To find out more email info@nccacademy.org.uk or call Hannah Cole on 01252 796090.

First College

These seven-hour courses are fully funded and available to employed and non-employed individuals. A personal tutor will support remotely throughout the course and all those attending will receive a certificate of completion.

  • Food Safety and/or Food Allergen Refresher
  • Health and Safety in the Workplace
  • Introductory ICT
  • Introductory Email, Word and/or Internet
  • Online Safety including GDPR
  • Mental Health Awareness
  • Basic Mobile Devices
  • Basic Word Processing
  • Basic Email

The following externally accredited courses are of different durations with a qualification certificate awarded for successful completion:

  • Principles of Customer Service L1 (85 hours)
  • Certificate in ICT Level 1 (85 hours)
  • Certificate in ICT Level 2 (125 hours)
  • Certificate in Principles of Business Administration Level 2 (120 hours)

Email Sarah.millburn@firstcollegelincs.co.uk or call 07889 478743 to book a place.

Coastal Sustainability through Careers and Business Skills in Greater Lincolnshire secured £370,000 of Government funding last year and is one of 26 across England to receive grant funding from the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund. 

To find out more about Coastal Communities Funding email nicola.radford@lincolnshire.gov.uk or roy.harper@skillsreach.co.uk.

If you’re a business in need of guidance, whatever your concern, visit the Business Lincolnshire website for fully funded advice and support.