ONE of the region's sixth form colleges is branching out and offering online courses which can be accessed nationally in a bid to help adults 'upskill' and seek new career opportunities.

USP College has two campuses in South East Essex, Palmer's campus based at Chadwell Road, Grays, and Seevic in Benfleet.

Starting in January 2021 USP College will be offering a new online course, Access to Higher Education in Health Science Professionals.

Within this course you can follow a number of pathways including nursing, midwifery, biomedical science, speech therapy and social work to name a few.

The course will be studied over a maximum of six months and on successful completion students will be able to progress to degree level study.

An Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma is a Level 3 qualification which prepares students to study at degree level.

It has been specifically designed to enable students to gain relevant subject knowledge as well as how to approach study at university-level.

Previously the College has only offered these qualifications over one year with face-to-face learning but from this January will be offering online study.

The new online course is self-paced so students are able to fit it around current commitments, the course is due to finish in June meaning students could start a degree programme in September 2021.

This course is available to anyone in the UK, who meets the entry criteria, and is 100% online learning, although students will have access to assessment support and will be provided with feedback.

Head of Higher and Adult Education, Stuart Coussins said: "This course is a great addition to our already growing adult provision. Offering this course online will open up many opportunities to both local students and those across the UK.

"Those who study online will benefit from a flexible yet supportive way of learning whilst being able to gain the qualifications necessary to progress to degree level study."

You can apply for the Access to HE course in Health Science Professions or find out more information via the USP College website.