People who lose their jobs could benefit from learning skills via learndirect, the government says.
University and skills secretary John Denham has highlighted the importance and prominence of learndirect in the government's employment strategy.
Speaking to Parliament, he pledged more assistance to people who were losing their jobs as a result of the current economic crisis.
learndirect, he said, was being promoted as an important tool to help people get back into work.
His comments were published in the Guardian newspaper.
Mr Denham went on to say he would be working with further education colleges to make sure they are "making every effort to offer appropriate advice and support on skills training to those who may worry about losing their jobs".
learndirect offers online courses in basic English and maths, plus IT and business and management.
Many courses lead to qualifications and learners can complete them at their own speed.
>>To improve your English and maths skills take a look at the courses available, they’re across many different levels.