From April 1, Strode College in Street will be offering several free qualifications to adult learners aged over 19 looking for retraining, skills building or career development.

Funded under the UK Government's National Skills Fund, adult learners over 19 years who do not have an existing Level 3 qualification will be eligible for a free place.

Courses on offer include AAT Accounting Level 3 Diploma, Children's Learning and Development Level 3 Diploma, European Computer Driving License Advanced Certificate, and the Leadership and Management Level 3 Diploma.

Katy Quinn, principal and CEO Strode College, said: "It's incredibly important with the UK coming out of lockdown that people and businesses have the right skills in place to support the local economy and help the country recover from the impact of Covid-19.

"People and businesses have been massively impacted by the pandemic. These free courses will help people needing to retrain or upskill, as well as providing businesses with the opportunity to increase workplace skills to help their businesses recover.

"We're really pleased to be able to offer the courses free to adult learners."

The National Skills Fund is a £2.5 billion fund set up by the UK Government to help adult learners build the skills they need to improve their job prospects and career development.