People who want to keep learning and upskill to improve their employment prospects, are being offered help by University College Isle of Man.

It has launched a new series of free events to promote and support professional lifelong learning, with the first event focussing on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital courses.

Throughout the year, the college will be hosting a number of events, each exploring a different current trend or emerging topic.

To enable access to a wide variety of industries, the college will be hosting the events on different days and times of the day, including breakfast, lunch and evening sessions.

The first event, entitled ‘Business in the Age of AI’, will be held on January 23 at 8.30am at UCM’s Homefield Road campus, and will be presented by the founder of Lemur Labs, Brian Gallagher.

Mr Gallagher has more than 40 years’ experience in technology consulting working with businesses, non-profit organisations, universities and governments to improve their systems, increase productivity, improve user experience and enhance transparency.

Following the presentation, those who attend will have the opportunity to ask questions, explore some of the AI and digital upskilling courses on offer by the college, and network.

Kerry Birchall, who manages adult learning at the college, said: ‘Following the recent launch of our new adult learning upskilling offering, we’re really excited to announce this new series of free events which are great for continued professional development (CPD) and aim to encourage lifelong learning in the workplace. We’ve been consulting with industry and the Chamber of Commerce to ensure we’re delivering events and content which supports the goals or aims of the Island Plan and UCM strategic plan.

‘AI is such a hot topic at the moment, with many people questioning whether AI will take their job, how they can use AI to improve their career or how AI can make their business better; so this event is really timely and will hopefully help answer some of those burning questions.’

Julie Edge MHK, Minister for Education Sport and Culture, added: ‘I’m thrilled to witness University College Isle of Man’s proactive steps toward fostering continuous learning through their “Learn4Life” initiative.

‘These sessions aren’t just about exploring trends; they’re about empowering our workforce, enhancing skills, and nurturing innovation across diverse industries, so encourage all professionals eager to adapt, grow, and thrive in this digital era to participate in this invaluable opportunity.’

Mr Gallagher moved to the island from the United States of America earlier this year, bringing with him, the college says, his passion for both technology and education.

Lemur Labs aims to help businesses and individuals adapt to AI through workshops, audits and training. More information about Lemur Labs can be found at www.lemurlabs.ai.

Future Learn4Life events will be held in April 2024, June 2024 and September 2024, with more information being announced closer to each event.