Queen Mary, University of London has been awarded £472,500 to support graduates during the recession. The ‘Queen Mary Centre for Employment in Developing Opportunities in Society’ project (QUEDOS) aims to encourage economic recovery on a personal level.
Graduates who have recently been made redundant, or who are looking to improve their employability during the credit crunch, can apply to Queen Mary to study a range of one-off modules in relevant subjects, and diversify their skills base.Courses from Law to Drama to Science and Engineering will be on offer, as well as other skills training such as entrepreneurship and interview techniques.The IMF World Economic Outlook Update forecast a reduction in UK GDP of 2.8 per cent in 2009, with London being hard hit due to its dependence on the financial sector. Dr Ian Llewellyn, Head of Business Development at Queen Mary, explains: “This downturn is unusual since it is mainly graduates who are being made redundant and so require the opportunity to develop new skills or revitalise old ones.“QUEDOS will re-train graduate personnel affected by the downturn to allow fresh employment in skill-shortage areas and to allow the UK as a whole to diversify to other opportunities”.The project is supported by Hefce’s £50m Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF), which will offer practical help to 50,000 people and 11,700 businesses across the UK. QUEDOS will be work alongside industry partners and financial sector companies, as well as Job Centre Plus and the London Development Agency.Professor Trevor Dadson, Vice-Principal for Humanities and Social Sciences, who is leading the project, said: “Queen Mary is ideally located adjacent to the two major areas of financial sector activity in the UK; the City of London and the Canary Wharf complex. As the only research led traditional university in this critical area, we are in a unique position to assist Londoners by providing leading edge educational opportunities.”Minister of State for Higher Education David Lammy added: “Universities have demonstrated across the country that they are central to the fiscal stimulus that local communities businesses families and young people need.”
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