UK government is offering free cyber security and coding courses

The Department of Education has launched a free online learning platform to help people pick up digital skills while in lockdown.

The Skills Toolkit offers digital and numerical courses to boost skillsets, progress in work and boost job prospects, according to the government.

The courses range from basic digital skills, such as email shortcuts and social media best practices, to more intermediate subjects like cyber security and coding. 

Due to the rapid impact of the coronavirus, more and more people are having to adopt digital skills, either to continue working or to connect with friends and family. For those that have been furloughed, the government suggests that it could be an opportunity to get ahead of the curve and pick up skills for the future.

"The high-quality and free to access courses on offer on our new online learning platform, The Skills Toolkit, will help those whose jobs have been affected by the outbreak, and people looking to boost their skills while they are staying at home, protecting the NHS and saving lives," said education secretary Gavin Williamson.

"I want businesses to encourage their furloughed employees to use The Skills Toolkit to improve their knowledge, build their confidence and support their mental health."

From today, people will be able to access courses from basic maths to tutorials in creating online content developed by the University of Leeds and the Institute of Coding. There are also courses on digital marketing from Google Digital Garage and learning to code for data analysis from the Open University. 

All of the courses are flexible, according to the government, so people can work through them at their own pace. 

"techUK is pleased to see Government taking an active role in signposting and motivating the public to take advantage of the digital skills training industry offers, techUK has long advocated for a move in this direction," said Julian David, CEO of techUK. "Digital skills will be crucial to the future of the UK economy and our recovery from the COVID crisis."