College encourages awareness of mental health issues through on-line learning

As schools and colleges across the country have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by transitioning from classroom-based teaching to on-line learning, Lancaster and Morecambe College has seen a huge increase in enrolments onto their distance learning courses.

In the last 4 weeks, over 130 adults have signed-up to one of the FREE, on-line modules, with the most popular choice being the Level 1 Award in Mental Health Awareness. The course, which provides an excellent introduction to the subject of mental health and the various illnesses and treatment routes available, is suitable for anyone who has an interest in learning about the subject and can lead on to advanced study for those who wish to work within the sector.

Victoria Carter, Engagement Manager at LMC feels that the course is proving popular, due to the increased focus on positive mental health during the current lockdown:

We originally decided to offer the L1 Mental Health Awareness course in response to the statistics relating to suicide and self-harm within our district. We felt it would be an excellent opportunity for local employers to access relevant information which would be beneficial to them, their clients and their workforce.

However, with the advent of social-distancing and self-isolation, we have seen an increase in the number of people enrolling onto the course, purely out of interest. Anything which encourages people to familiarise themselves with the issues relating to mental health is incredibly positive

The FREE course, which is supported by Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System, takes around 4 weeks to complete and can lead on to further study, including L2 Children & Young People’s Mental Health. It is one of a number of fully on-line courses offered by the College, including modules in Health & Social Care, Business and Childcare.

Charlotte Rawes, the College’s Director of Apprenticeships & Employer Engagement said:

We want to be able to offer opportunities for people to access learning without leaving their home, so the distance-learning courses are ideal. It is easy to enrol via our website and learners have access to a tutor throughout the time they are studying.

We are hoping to add a wider range of subjects over the coming weeks and are in discussions with employers and agencies about creating relevant qualifications which meet the needs of our local labour market.

Find out more information and enrol onto one of the FREE courses