BY switching to virtual classrooms, a North-East upskill platform has recorded zero absences in all of its completed courses.

Within four weeks of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Geon Training, based in Gateshead, changed its recruitment and training processes, taking them online, and were running their first virtual online training from April 14.

As a result, the upskill platform has secured funding to support local businesses and their employees as they phase back into work, whether that is upskilling staff working from home, re-train as healthcare key workers or get market-ready skills in key sectors.

Managing director of the four-year-old firm Nadia Scott said: "Covid-19 has forced many people, businesses included, to be more inventive to overcome hurdles that just didn’t exist before.

"Technology has come to the forefront, which is why our online training is attracting so much attention.”

Head of education Chris Brown added:“Gone are the days when distance learning meant being sent an email once a week. Our packages involve virtual classrooms, videos and interactive features which make learning enjoyable and it sticks.

“I want companies to look at us for the support we are able to offer to ease much of their training and recruitment needs."

The company also provides the TQUK Level 2 Award in Prevention and Control of Infection, a qualification that many employers look for due to the pandemic.