Free courses and webinars

Citizens Advice West Northamptonshire and Cherwell (CAWNAC)

Citizens Advice West Northamptonshire and Cherwell (CAWNAC) are currently offering 2 free short courses to West Northants residents.

JobWise will focus on training and learning, to increase participants' skills and their opportunities to improve their employability.

If this is something that would interest you and you'd like to find out more please email [email protected] or call 0300 303 0126.

Expert Advice on How to Write Your CV

A CV (curriculum vitae) is a brief account of your education, qualifications, skills and work-based experience, used mainly when applying for a job. Your CV is your first opportunity to tell an employer what you can do. A well written CV can make the difference between getting an interview and not being considered for the role.

Read the expert advice on how to write your CV guide

For advice on how to improve your CV and job application forms as well as help with interviews please visit Job Help.

Essential Skills for Your Career Development

Most people want to achieve career success, but how can you make it a reality? On this course, you’ll get the tools to take your career to the next level.

Discover tools to help you identify the skills you need to plan and achieve your career goals.

Learn how to:

• use planning tools
• establish career goals
• create a professional network
• use your transferable skills
• navigate job applications and interviews

Begin essential skills for your career development course

Develop Your Key Skills for Life

In everyday life, life skills help you to find new ways of thinking and solve problems. They can also build your confidence both in spoken skills and for group collaboration and co-operation. This selection of courses are not focused directly on work, but rather helping you understand and build skills which are useful in everyday life.

Begin the develop your skills for life courses

Multiply

Multiply will strengthen your numeracy skills to enhance your job prospects, contribute to your child's education, and empower you to effectively manage your finances.

If this is something that would interest you and you'd like to find out more please email [email protected] or call 0300 303 0126.

Wellbeing in the Workplace

The modern workplace is demanding and rapidly changing. Discover how to maintain resilience and adaptability, and explore the value of good health and wellbeing in the workplace.

Learn how to:

• be resilient and adaptable
• evaluate your strengths at work
• identify the value of workplace wellbeing

Begin wellbeing in the workplace course

Get the Best Out of Microsoft Outlook

Learn how to use Microsoft Outlook, an email program used in the workplace. Find out how to do things like:

• send an email
• book a meeting
• manage your calendar
• organise a to-do list

Read the Microsoft Outlook guides

Using Your Computer or Device

Learn about using a computer or mobile device such as a phone or tablet. This subject covers basic skills such using a keyboard, a mouse or a touchscreen.

Begin using your computer or device courses

Digital Skills for the Workplace

Learn how digital is changing our personal and professional lives and develop the skills to thrive in the digital world of work. What topics will you cover?

• The meaning of 'digital'
• How digital is integrated into our day-to-day lives
• How digital is changing the world of work and the opportunities and challenges this brings
• The meaning of a 'growth mindset' and how it can help you reach your full potential and thrive in the digital workplace
• Re-framing setbacks and challenges to view them as an opportunity to learn and improve

Begin digital skills for the workplace course

Create a Professional Online Presence

How we present ourselves online is becoming increasingly important, both personally and professionally. Harness the power of social media to create the right impression with employers.

Find out about:

• different social media platforms
• how online behaviour can impact your professional reputation
• safety and privacy online

Begin create a professional online presence course

Develop Your Key Skills for Work

Often referred as 'soft skills', these core skills cover areas such as networking and communication, leadership and following, plus coaching and mentoring.

These self-paced courses follow the same format of 24 hours of learning (3 hours per week for 8 weeks). The courses are designed for unconfident learners coming back into education. They align to national levels 4/5 - (1st year undergraduate study).

Begin the develop your skills for work courses

Find new Skills

Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks. You'll be offered a job interview with an employer once you complete the course.

Find a new Skills Bootcamp

Everyday English 1

This free course is an introduction to Level 1 Functional Skills English and Level 1 Essential Skills Wales Communication. It is designed to inspire you to improve your current English skills and help you to remember any areas that you may have forgotten. Working through the activities and learning the tips and techniques outlined in this course will help you to communicate more effectively in everyday life and make progress in your career.

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• understand how to make a range of relevant and extended contributions to formal and informal discussions
• read and understand the main points and ideas in a range of straightforward texts
• utilise information contained in various texts and identify suitable responses
• construct a range of texts to communicate information, ideas and opinions
• utilise accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar to communicate clearly in writing

Begin everyday English 1 course

Everyday English 2

This free course is an introduction to Functional Skills English Level 2 and Essential Skills Wales Communication Level 2. It is designed to inspire you to improve your current English skills and help you to remember any areas that you may have forgotten. Working through the activities, and learning the tips and techniques outlined in this course, will help you to communicate more effectively in everyday life and make progress in your career.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• listen, understand and make relevant contributions to discussions with others in a range of contexts
• apply your understanding of language to adapt delivery and content to suit audience and purpose
• read a range of different text types confidently and fluently, and apply your knowledge and understanding of texts to your own writing
• write texts of varying complexity, with accuracy and effectiveness, and correct spelling, punctuation and grammar
• understand the situations when, and audiences for which, planning, drafting and using formal language are important, and when they are less important

Begin everyday English 2 course

Everyday Maths 1

This free course serves as good preparation for Level 1 Functional Skills in maths, and whilst it does not cover all aspects of the current 2019-20 curriculum, it is designed to inspire you to improve your current maths skills and help you to remember any areas that you may have forgotten.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• understand practical problems, some of which are non-routine
• identify the maths skills you need to tackle a problem
• use maths in an organised way to find the solution you’re looking for
• use appropriate checking procedures at each stage
• explain the process you used to get an answer and draw simple conclusions from it

Begin everyday maths 1 course

Everyday Maths 2

This free course is an introduction to Level 2 Functional Skills in maths. It is designed to inspire you to build on your existing maths skills by working through examples and interactive activities. These have been designed around everyday situations like calculating how long it will take to get from one place to another or how to convert currencies when you go on holiday. The course may also enhance your career prospects or help if you are considering an apprenticeship.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• understand practical problems, some of which are non-routine
• identify the maths skills you need to tackle a problem
• use maths in an organised way to find the solution you’re looking for
• use appropriate checking procedures at each stage
• explain the process you used to get an answer and draw simple conclusions from it

Begin everyday maths 2 course

Succeed with Maths - Part 1

This free course lasts 8 weeks, with approximately 3 hours' study time each week. You can work through the course at your own pace, so if you have more time one week there is no problem with pushing on to complete another week’s study. You'll start with the most familiar territory of how numbers are put together and look at addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. In the following weeks you'll move on to look at fractions, percentages and negative numbers. You’ll use plenty of real-life examples to help with this and give you plenty of opportunities to practise your new understanding and skills.

After completing this course you will be able to:

• use maths in a variety of everyday situations
• understand how to use percentages, fractions and negative numbers in some everyday situations
• begin to develop different problem solving skills
• use a calculator effectively

Begin succeed with maths part 1 course

Succeed with Maths - Part 2

Following on from Part 1, this free course lasts 8 weeks, with approximately 3 hours' study time each week. You can work through the course at your own pace, so if you have more time one week there is no problem with pushing on to complete another week’s study. You'll start with looking at different units of measurement for length and how to convert between these, before moving onto the same for volume and mass (known as weight in everyday language). In following weeks you’ll move on to look at scientific notation, basic geometry and ways of representing and analysing data. You’ll use plenty of real-life examples to help with this and get plenty of opportunities to practise your new understanding and skills.

After completing this course you will be able to:

• understand the SI and imperial systems of measurement
• understand and use scientific notation in different situations
• describe and calculate the basic properties of circles, four sided shapes and triangles
• understand some different ways of representing and analysing data

Begin succeed with maths part 2 course