Dale fans have a chance to give their career a significant boost by accessing quality free training at the Crown Oil Arena.
More than 200 unemployed people in Rochdale have already taken advantage of the opportunity to boost their skills, with hundreds more set to follow suit.
Leading training provider Realise is delivering fully funded Adult Education Budget (AEB) vocational training to people in the town, in conjunction with Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Anyone over the age of 19, living in Rochdale, Oldham or Bury and not in employment is eligible to sign up for courses.
Realise has seen huge interest in its varied programmes, with 208 learners taking the opportunity to boost their skills in Rochdale alone – and some of those have already entered employment.
The programmes on offer include functional skills in English and maths, logistics and warehousing, introduction to early years, vocational hairdressing, cleaning, mental health first aid, digital skills, licensed security officer, licensed event steward and employability skills.
Dan Goodall, Operations Director for Adult Learning at Realise, said: “These courses exist to help people in Greater Manchester get into employment.
“We have seen a fantastic uptake in Rochdale across all our AEB courses and we have already seen people secure jobs as a direct result of their new qualifications, including some people who were long-term unemployed. Two people have even joined the Realise team as members of staff.
“We work closely with the local Job Centre to ensure we are meeting the needs of the local economy. We have also successfully forged partnerships with major local employers, including housebuilders, supermarkets and logistics companies, enabling us to understand market needs and link suitable people with appropriate local vacancies.
“It’s very exciting to be making a long-term difference to people’s lives by giving them opportunities to upskill.”
AEB courses are also taking place in Oldham at Earl Business Centre and Bury at Gigg Lane stadium. In total, just over 1,600 people will receive training in Greater Manchester - 666 in Rochdale, 453 in Bury and 519 in Oldham - over the course of the 12-month contract.
Nationally recognised Level One and Level Two qualifications are available by completing each of the programmes.
Realise is one of the country's leading training providers, working with more than 1,000 employers and more than 10,000 learners a year throughout apprenticeships and adult education courses.
For more information, visit www.realisetraining.com.