UOW unveils 23 short courses to help workers boost skills, change careers

Higher education certificates will address national priorities of teaching, health, science, and IT.

The University of Wollongong (UOW) will offer more than 20 short courses to help workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic boost their skills and embark on a new career, it was announced today (Monday 27 April).

The 23 short courses encompass areas of national priority, including education, nursing, health, and science, and will be subsidised as part of the Federal Government’s Higher Education Relief Package.

Workers who have lost their job or had their employment reduced on the back of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis will be able to use the next six months to learn a set of skills or retrain.

Workers who complete these semester-long online courses, comprising four subjects, will receive a Higher Education Certificate. While this is not a formal qualification in and of itself, it will provide a pathway towards an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

In addition, applicants with a degree or relative work experience, will be able to apply to take one of nine Graduate Certificate courses on offer.

Students who complete a short course, which include free preparatory training for academic study, will be part of the way through a degree. The short courses will run from July 2020 to December 2020.

Professor Theo Farrell, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), said while this was an incredibly difficult time for workers across all industries, the short-courses would provide the chance for workers to improve their employability once the country has moved through the pandemic.

“UOW is pleased to be able to support our communities through this wide range of Higher Education Certificate courses,” Professor Farrell said.

“The high-calibre, online courses have been designed to provide upskilling opportunities to those who are unemployed as well as pathways into a number of degree programs.

“This is a chance for those who have felt the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic to improve their employability prospects, gain new skills, or forge a new career path in the wake of the crisis.

“There has never been a better time to come back to university and try something new.”

The Higher Education Certificates will be heavily subsidised and students will be able to defer payment via the Federal Government’s HECS-HELP scheme.