Thinktank proposes free part-time university courses

17:10 30th March 2009

Unemployed workers should be offered free part-time placements on university courses in order to gain more training and qualifications, according to an education thinktank.

Million+ said the proposal could help unemployed people boost their skill sets with computer training and a range of other potential courses, in a move that could create more than £500 million for the economy in the long run.

Sarah Van Der Heyden, public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), described the idea as "viable" and added that workers who seek additional training in the current economic climate are likely to be the most successful.

Ms Van Der Heyden said: "It sounds like a viable proposal. The CIPD is generally supportive of any schemes that will encourage either individuals or employers to invest in skills development at this time."

Nonetheless, she added that a more "coordinated approach" is needed in the future to ensure workers improve their skill sets on a wider scale.

There were more than 200,000 fewer jobs available in February this year than there were in the same month in 2008, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.