Helping Cheshire and Warrington Recover from COVID-19 through Education

Education has been a hot topic among local communities for a while, but the effects of COVID-19 on communities around England has brought renewed awareness on the need for residents to be better equipped to manage the transition into a post-COVID world.

For numerous years, Cheshire and Warrington has had one of the fastest growing economies across the country, however as is the case with other regions, COVID-19 has impacted the local economy. Local residents who claim unemployment doubled during the first lockdown in March 2020.

As Cheshire and Warrington looks to recover from the impact of COVID-19, education will be at the forefront of residents thinking. The Local Skills Report for Cheshire and Warrington issued in May 2021, has outlined a number of key skills needs for residents. These include:

• Equipping 71,000 adults with qualifications Level 3 and above;
• Increase the gender disparities for Level 3 qualifications in IT, Engineering, Health and Social Care and Construction;
• Increase female participation in digital skills
• Decrease the 2% number of unemployed across the area with new curriculum pathways to access and more available job training
• Increase the demand for higher level technical skills to grow due to the changing nature of work

Ascentis Qualifications:

Here at Ascentis, we have a wide range of qualifications that are suitable for meeting the skill challenges faced by the region. In particular:

Our Ascentis Access to Higher Education Diplomas are Level 3 Qualifications for learners aged 19+ who do not have the qualifications required to enter HE. Each year around 30,000 learners in the UK take Access to HE courses and many go on to succeed in higher education and embark on life changing new careers. This is also a pathway that is increasingly popular with females. During the 2019-20 academic year, 73% of all learners were female.

Our Ascentis Digital Skills Entry 3 to Level 3 qualifications are designed to help learners get started with a basic understanding of how to use a computer, use software and get online safely. These qualifications require no prior learning or experience. 

Our Ascentis Education and Training qualifications are appropriate for any pre-service or in-service candidate who needs an initial award for their role as a teacher, trainer or tutor within a Further Education college, Adult and Community Learning Centre, Training Providers and those within work-based training environments. 

*Data taken from Cheshire and Warrington Local Skills Report here.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss these qualifications in more detail, please click here to arrange a meeting.

Written by Freya Cronin, Regional Sales Assistant.