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Skill Up

This Government funded programme has been designed to provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities, focused on supporting individuals to engage in learning and improve the skills profile of our local workforce.

Skill up

If you’re aged 18 and over and eligible to work in Northern Ireland, a range of free accredited courses are available to help you re-train and re-skill, through SKILL UP. 

Participants on the SKILL UP Programme can avail of free courses to skill, upskill and reskill. 

The programme focuses on supporting people in taking part in learning to improve the skills of the local workforce with courses available through local Further and Higher Education Providers. 

The Skill Up Programme is funded by Department for the Economy (DfE) and are available at a number of of education institutions throughout Northern Ireland (see below). 

Use the link below to apply for these qualifications, and for the most up to date list of available qualifications. 

Find out more

Where to find OCN NI Qualifications on the Skill Up Programme

Belfast Met

Childcare

  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Infant and Child Mental Health and its Impact on Social and Emotional Development
  • NOCN Level 2 Award in Meeting the Needs of Learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • OCN Level 2 Award in Managing Challenging Behaviour in Children and Young People
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Early Years Learning, Care and Development
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Introduction to Mindfulness and Reducing Anxiety in Children
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Working with Children and Young People with Special Needs

Green Skills

  • OCN Level 2 Certificate in Retrofit Skills for Domestic Building Fabric
  • OCN Level 5 Award in Retrofitting Domestic Properties

Green Skills / Software

  • OCN Level 2 Award in Digital Construction Skills
  • OCN Level 3 Award in Digital Construction with Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Software

  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Creative Arts and Digital Technologies
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Professional and Technical Media Production Practices

Other Transversal Skills

  • OCN Level 2 Award in Digital Marketing
  • OCN Level 2 Award in Social Media
  • OCN Level 4 Award in Social Media and Digital Marketing
Skill up at Belfast Met

South West College

Health and Social Care

  • OCN NI Level 2 An Introduction to Mindfulness and Reducing Anxiety in Children
  • OCN NI Level 2 Managing Challenging Behaviour in Children and Young People
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Working with Children and Young People with Special Needs

Hospitality

  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Tour Guiding
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Event management

Software

  • Cyber Security - Level 2
  • Social Media & Digital Marketing
  • Cyber Security - Level 4
  • Data Analytics
Skill up at South West College

Southern Regional College

Childcare

  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Managing Challenging Behaviour in Children and Young People
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Introduction to Mindfulness and Reducing Anxiety in Children
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Working with Children and Young People with Special Needs

Green Skills

  • OCN NI Level 2 Certificate in Retrofit Skills for Domestic Building Fabric

Health and Social Care

  • OCN NI Level 1 Award in Infant Mental Health
  • OCN NI Level 2 Certificate in Care and Health Skills

 Hospitality

  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Principles of Customer Service
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Barista Skills and Counter Services
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Barista Skills
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Cocktail Making
  • OCN NI Level 2 Diploma in the Principles and Practices of the Hospitality and Tourism Team Member

Other Transversal Skills

  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Transversal Skills
  • OCN NI Level 2 Certificate in Transversal Skills
  • OCN NI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management
  • OCN NI Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management
  • OCN NI Level 4 Award in Leadership
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Social Media
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Digital Marketing
  • OCN NI Level 4 Award in Social Media and Digital Marketing 

Software

  • OCN NI Level 4 Certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning   
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Cyber Security
  • OCN NI Level 4 Certificate in Cyber Security
  • OCN NI Level 5 Certificate in Cyber Security
  • OCN NI Level 4 Certificate in Data Analytics
  • OCN NI Level 5 Certificate in Data Analytics
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Industrial Robotics

Skill Up courses starting 2024 - 2025

New courses under the Skill Up programme at SRC will be added to their website before the end of August 2024. In the meantime should you have any enquiries about Skill Up please contact [email protected].

Skill up at Southern Regional College

South Eastern Regional College

Green Skills

  • OCN NI Level 2 Hydrogen Safety Awareness
  • OCN NI Level 2 Reducing Energy Use in Buildings  
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Reducing Carbon Footprints through Environmental Action 

Health and Social Care

  • OCN NI Level 3 Neurodiversity in the Workplace  

Other Transversal Skills

  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Social Media
  • OCN NI Level 4 Award in Social Media and Digital Marketing
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Innovation & Enterprise in Practice
  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Learning and Development (TTT)
  • OCN NI Level 2 Certificate in Transversal Skills
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Transversal Skills

Software

  • OCN NI Level 3 Award in Information Technology Applications - Unit, Computerised Accounting Software
  • OCN NI Level 2 Award in Cyber Security 
Skill up at South Eastern Regional College