A CAMPAIGN promoted by South Essex College has been launched to help local adults whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

#Youtrainyougain is a month-long campaign across South Essex to promote the opportunities available to adults wishing to retrain or upskill.

The campaign is a partnership between ACL Essex, Essex County Council, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Southend Adult Community College, South Essex College, Rochford District Council, Basildon Council, Thurrock Adult Community College and Thurrock Council.

#Youtrainyougain has been set up to dispel the myths around adult education. A new website has been launched with instant information about South Essex providers and information for adults about getting back into education.

Ian Lewis from Opportunity South Essex, a public-private board which supports businesses in the county, said: "We conducted research into the barriers that adults face in getting back into education.

"This revealed that more than 60 per cent of adults felt the cost of education was a barrier when the reality is that many courses on offer, particularly to those who are unemployed, are free or low cost. In addition, for higher level courses, adults are able to access adult learner loans which spread the cost of them retraining.

"We also found that adults wanted flexibility, either through fully online courses or through blended courses that are a mixture of face to face and online. We wish to raise awareness that providers across South Essex are now offering these types of courses".

Watch out during the next month for information about opportunities, courses and events connected to the #youtrainyougain campaign or visit the website at www.youtrainyougain.org.