Ucas has announced that it will be launching two free massive open online courses (Moocs) to help boost careers advice in schools.

The courses, which will be delivered through Mooc provider FutureLearn, are designed to help teachers, careers advisers and students understand what educational options are available to school leavers - from university study and work to apprenticeships.

The first course, designed for teachers and careers advisers, will start on 23 October, and provide information about the range of option available to students, as well as how to support them with their careers research. The second course, for students, will start on 6 November, and will focus on what options are available to school leavers, and how to research them.

‘Support and advice’

Rebecca Bale, careers information and advice lead at Ucas, said: “We know how time-pressed teachers are, and how hard it can be for students to choose their next step when there’s so much riding on it. That’s why we’ve come up with these courses. They can find all the information in one place, and take the short course from the comfort of their home or school, at their own pace.

“These free online courses, or Moocs, are a new venture for Ucas, and we’ve had great feedback and response from teachers and their students. For Ucas, they enable us to engage in an ever-improving dialogue with our customers, so that we understand them better and can support them more fully in providing information and advice to young people about all their options.”

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes FE News on Twitter, like us on Facebook and follow us on LinkedIn