NEW FREE ONLINE LEARNING COURSES LAUNCHED

Sunderland AFC’s official charity, the Foundation of Light, has today launched a range of new and exciting free online learning courses aimed at bringing families together during the COVID-19 crisis. The ‘Isolation to Education’ programme offers 15 specially created courses, designed for anyone aged over 19 who has recently been furloughed or made unemployed, with the aim of bringing families together through learning. The new online programme includes a range of engaging new courses, mapped to the National Curriculum, for families with Key Stage One and Two children, including:

• Football Manager Challenge
• Mental Health Heroes
• Healthy Eating at Home
• Learning Through Literature
• Murder Mystery Maths

Families completing the courses will be awarded their own certificate from Sunderland AFC mascots Samson and Delilah and will also be invited to a special party at the charity’s home, the Beacon of Light, once lockdown is lifted. Courses take c. 10-12 hours to complete helping families across the region create a structured and fun learning environment within the home using materials and equipment which is readily available around the house. The Foundation has also created six new adult learning courses have been designed for anyone living alone but can also be expanded to involve the whole family. Accredited by Pearson and carrying a Level One award, Back in the Game offers a range of subjects which many are already doing at home including Home-Cooking, Health and Fitness and Work Skills. The programme also includes a Social Action award which accredits anyone who is already volunteering or supports people to volunteer if they would like to help with the national effort against COVID-19. Adult learning courses take a minimum of 23 guided learning hours to complete, with learners sign-posted to further free learning opportunities within the Foundation programmes on completion, helping them to regain confidence and learn new skills. Linda Hughes, Head of Skills at the Foundation of Light said “With the lockdown extended for another few weeks, providing a structured learning environment at home for many parents is a challenge.

The aim of Isolation to Education is to make learning easy, fun and engaging for the whole family using everyday materials which are already available in the home.

“For those who have recently been made unemployed or put on furlough, our aim is to provide a qualification but also a support service during this difficult time. We have a proven track record in helping people to re-build their confidence, supporting them to re-train and explore further learning opportunities either within our programmes or with our partners”