Unionlearn have reacted quickly to the onset of Covid-19 and the lockdown, launching several new initiatives to help people in this ‘new normal’.

I have been helping unionlearn on these projects and wanted to highlight the availability of these new, topical resources.

Learning in the workplace has become much more difficult with many now working from home, and strict social distancing in those workplaces that are open. As a result, unionlearn have launched a new Learning@Home campaign.

The campaign brings together a wide range of learning resources that can be accessed online. These cover a range of subjects, from numeracy and skill audits to Continuing professional Development and learning at home with children.

A new searchable database has been set up, to provide details of a wide selection of free online learning courses from different providers all in one place.  This includes services such as Alison, Coursera, Duolingo, Futurelearn, Openlearn and many more. With well over 1,000 courses listed and still growing, it is a great place to find that niche course you’ve been looking for.

Unionlearn have also developed new, bite-sized, eLearning modules hosted on this website. These new courses are designed to be quick and easy to use but also timely, addressing some of the common problems people have encountered since the Coronavirus changed our lives.

For example, the new ‘Safe Video Conferencing module’ helps address the new phenomenon of Zoombombing, where insecure video conferences are targeted by abuse intrusions. Other modules focus of other topical areas, such as ‘Helping your children learn at home’, ‘Five ways to wellbeing’, ‘Safe home working’ and ‘Personal Finance’.

With many apprenticeships in turmoil in the lockdown, unionlearn have also created a resource around apprenticeships and Covid-19. As well as providing regularly updated guidance, there is a new tool, created for apprentices, that helps clarify how your apprenticeship will be affected by Covid-19.

This tool takes apprentices though their circumstances through step-by-step choices. For example, have you been furloughed? Are you carrying out a new role? Have you been made redundant? As it clarifies the circumstances through user choices, the tool explains what the options are to continue the apprenticeship and clarifies the situation around pay. Visit the tool here.

More resources are being developed, so watch this space.