THE training provider Pitman is aiming to help people retrain and develop new skills in the wake of the pandemic.

Pitman Training Bournemouth and Poole opened earlier this year and is delivering training and exams online and in person.

Calum Hales, centre manager and one of the owners of the local business, said: “We decided to open Pitman Training in light of the current coronavirus pandemic and the announcement of furlough and major job losses and business closures in the area.

“We saw that the pandemic has had a significant impact on jobs and the way we work and study, so our online training platform is perfect for people looking to retrain and get re-skilled.

“We provide online courses, awards and diplomas along with support from our learning coaches for every student, which is what separates us from other online training providers as we offer a one-to-one service helping students achieve their qualifications and as an exam centre, we provide the place for them to complete their qualifications.

“We are also now a registered AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) exam centre and have had an influx of people sitting their exams as they have been unable to during the pandemic.”

The centre at Pearl Assurance House in Old Christchurch Road offers more than 250 courses in areas including business and management; office and secretarial; bookkeeping and accounting; Microsoft Office; marketing; career development; IT and web design and more.

Courses are accredited by bodies including AAT, CompTIA, Digital Marketing Institute, Cilex, ECDL, City & Guilds, Microsoft and CPD Standards office.

Mr Hales said: “As the government has recently announced people, over the age of 25 and adult learners may have to re-skill and retrain to get back into the job market.

“Our aim at Pitman Bournemouth is to help people and local businesses in Dorset to get retrained and re-skilled to be able to now work from home or gain new employment to help boost our local economy again after the terrible year we have had.

“We have also introduced our Bounce Back Fund in which we aim to help any people that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic by funding 20 per cent of their diploma to help them get back into work. We have managed to now help a number of people get their qualifications, search for their new role, prepare for their interview and ultimately gain employment, which in turn helps boost our local economy.”

Pitman Training takes its name from Sir Isaac Pitman, pioneer of shorthand writing.