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Make 2022 your year with a free, skills-based short course at QMU

Posted: 9th December 2021

From January 2022, Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh is set to offer a range of credit-bearing short courses, with free places funded by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council’s Upskilling Fund. Click here for more information regarding the courses on offer.

Intended to support Scotland’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants for these courses do not need to have prior qualifications in the related subject area, and there are free places available to anyone living in Scotland over the age of 25 who is either:

• Unemployed, at risk of redundancy, or in a job that is under threat because of COVID-19 or the economic impact of EU Exit.
• Self-employed and working within the creative and cultural industries or hospitality, tourism, and events sector.
• Employed by a Scottish arts, cultural, education, hospitality, tourism, or events organisation.
• Employed by a Scottish charity or social enterprise whose work contributes to Scotland’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

QMU is committed to social justice, and we see our purpose as helping to create a better society through education. As such, our short courses focus on skills development for the public and not-for-profit sectors. Arranged around four key themes – education, sustainability, social justice, and social entrepreneurship – our courses aim to enhance the specialist knowledge, practical skills, and employability of those working and volunteering in these areas. The courses will be taught via a blend of online lectures, self-directed learning and in-person class-based practical workshops delivered at QMU’s Musselburgh campus.

Professor David Stevenson, Dean of Arts, Social Sciences and Management at QMU, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this range of new short courses. The free places provided by the Scottish Funding Council’s Upskilling fund mean that we can support those working in some of the sectors where employment was most significantly impacted by the pandemic to develop new skills and enhance their employability.”
Short courses starting in early 2022

Introduction to Film Education
Stars February 2022. Apply by Thursday 20 January.
Want to use film in the classroom but unsure where to begin? Looking to put your filmmaking skills to use in educational settings but don’t know where to start?

Our Introduction to Film Education course will help you to answer those questions. Film, and the moving image more broadly, are central to the lives of young people, and this course develops the knowledge and practical skills of participants to be able to embed film in their practice and reflect on the ways film can be embedded within Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence. This development and delivery of this course have also been supported by Screen Scotland.

Evaluating Arts and Cultural Projects
Starts January 2022. Apply by Thursday 6 January.

Exploring the processes and practices by which arts and cultural projects are evaluated, this course begins by considering the social and political factors that mean it is increasingly expected that art and cultural projects should be evaluated. The focus will then shift to the practicalities of designing a project evaluation, from logic modelling the theory of change through to selecting methods, establishing a baseline, generating and evaluating data, and producing a project evaluation report.

Fundraising, Development and Finance
Starts January 2022. Apply by Thursday 6 January.

This course will equip you with a practical understanding of the principles and techniques of fundraising, development, and financial management for cultural organisations. It focuses specifically on understanding and applying distinct approaches required for crafting grant applications for public or charitable funds and levering bespoke, authentic corporate sponsorship partnerships. The module underpins these important skills by providing you with a solid foundation in the financial literacy necessary for good governance.

Entrepreneurial Finance
Starts March 2022. Apply by Wednesday 16 February.
This course will equip you with a practical understanding of the principles and techniques of entrepreneurial finance. The course focuses specifically on understanding and managing working capital, including cash flow, budgeting and raising and managing sources of finance with a better understanding of the associated risks. The course underpins these essential skills by providing you with a solid foundation in the financial management skills necessary to make quality business decisions that will ensure the long-term financial sustainability of your business.

Sustainable and Safe Event Management
Starts March 2022. Apply by Monday 14 February.

The course aims to develop the knowledge and practical implementation of sustainable development policies and health and safety principles for those working in the event industries while also seeking to improve individual practices that can impact the event industry as a whole. There is a considerable emphasis on transparency and collaboration throughout the course, and students will be given the opportunity to share their experiences through group discussions and interactive online discussion boards. Sustainable event management is at the forefront of everyone working in the events industry. At COP26, a net-zero event pledge was launched, and the event sector was recognised as having a key part to play in the ‘race to zero’.

Free places are subject to availability and the fulfilment of the criteria listed above. Further short courses, with a Spring 2022 start date, will be announced in due course.

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