Skillshare announces ‘furlough 100’

Skillshare—the world’s largest online learning community for creativity— has launched the ‘Furlough100’ scholarship that will offer 100 people in the UK the opportunity to learn new skills from the world’s best creators and gain access to a thriving creative community.

For the first time ever, Skillshare has created a scholarship specifically for displaced workers. With Skillshare, members can explore their creativity and discover new skills, techniques, and tools for a wide range of creative topics. Recipients of the scholarship will gain free, unlimited access for a year to over 30,000 video-based classes including topics like: entrepreneurship, graphic design, photography, animation, and content creation.

There are also several classes to support mental wellbeing. Many studies show the act of creating can improve mental health — 60% of UK adults surveyed by Skillshare recently said learning creative skills boosted their mental health. Skillshare classes under this banner include tips on how to pivot your career from successful teachers on the platform such as Emma Gannon, podcaster and Sunday Times best seller, who shines a light on her journey to success.

To apply for a scholarship:

• Go to the Skillshare website
• Apply for the scholarship detailing:
  That you’re out of work
  Why you need a scholarship
  What skill you plan to learn and how you will use it
• The first 100 people who live in the UK and meet the criteria will be awarded a scholarship.

The scholarship entry timeframe is until December 1^st 2021 and scholarship awardees will be notified on a rolling basis through the year’s end.

Liana Douillet Guzmán, Skillshare CMO, said:  “As this phase of furlough comes to an end, it will be a time of uncertainty for many. We know from our recent research how important learning creative skills is both for people’s career prospects and wellbeing. This scholarship will be an opportunity to access over 30,000 classes in a wide range of creative disciplines and benefit from the support of the Skillshare community”.