The Department for the Economy will fund the places through its ‘Skill Up’ Flexible Skills Fund and follows the success of previous Department funded COVID-19 response postgraduate certificates in 2020, which helped people impacted by furlough or job loss due to the pandemic.

These courses are open to all applicants and not dependent upon having been impacted by furlough or job loss due to the pandemic.

The courses on offer are in areas including Software Development, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, Green Technologies, Leadership and Management, and Health, and have been created to suit a wide range of needs including online, on campus and blended learning options.

Professor Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast, said: “At Queen’s we are committed to upskilling and retraining the workforce of Northern Ireland to meet the needs of the economy in key sector areas as well as supporting the growth of the knowledge-based economy.

“Last year we experienced considerable demand for funded places on the postgraduate courses made available during the pandemic.  At Queen’s, we have continued to work in partnership with the Department for the Economy to offer additional courses in areas where they are most needed, thereby addressing the skills deficit in priority economic areas.  We are confident that a postgraduate qualification from Queen’s University will improve career prospects for individuals and give them the competitive edge to succeed.”

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA said: “Investing in skills is a key facet of the economic recovery, post-pandemic. Skill Up will invest in courses that are directly linked to priority areas for future economic growth, meaning people can equip themselves with the skills they need for jobs in new and emerging sectors, in line with my Department’s 10X Economic Vision and Skills Strategy.”

Deadlines are coming up soon for courses starting in September, including Software Development, Cyber Security, Mechanical Engineering and Digital Innovation so find out more here.