One of Manchester’s outstanding tech companies has announced it will be supporting the local sector once more during the third national lockdown – offering free spots on some of its acclaimed training courses.
Sync’s Deansgate site – a three-storey tech shop with an Apple desk, training suite and conference centre – has been the city centre’s vital support hub right throughout the pandemic, remaining on hand to keep Digital Mancunia ticking.
Despite the latest lockdown, these webinars aren’t stopping anytime soon. In fact, some are even continuing without the price tag.
As Blue Monday arrives, Sync is aiming to lift the spirits of local business owners and entrepreneurs with an exclusive offer of limited free course placements.
ADVERTISEMENT
15 fully-funded spots are up for grabs on Sync’s 3-day foundation course for Adobe XD – which is ordinarily normally priced at £195+VAT.
The training sessions run for two hours per day, offering priceless insight for designers, product managers, developers, or anyone hoping to build brilliant digital products (such as websites and mobile apps).
ADVERTISEMENT
Participants will perform a series of examples and short exercises, learning the methods, techniques and tools required to plan and execute a project using the UX framework successfully.
Tom Crump, Head of Sales at Sync, explained the thinking behind the offer.
“With the latest lockdown, we wanted to offer a form of support to businesses by offering fully funded places,” he told The Manc.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Once they’ve completed the course, they receive a certificate of completion from Sync.
“If you are a business or employee interested in this training, all you need to do is explain why you think you might benefit from it to access the course.”
To apply, you can get in touch with the Sync team online.
The courses will be taking place from February 2 – February 4.
In addition to the Adobe XD sessions, Sync is also offering skills-based training courses that focus on how to continue working and communicating through lockdown.
ADVERTISEMENT
They’re all free to join – and will be conducted every Thursday from January 14 until February 25.
To get involved, you simply need to register your interest online.
Some of the Sync webinar sessions in 2021 cover Microsoft Teams, Photoshop, Illustrator, Spark and InDesign.
January 14 – Master Microsoft Teams What Sync says about the session: Teams has quickly become a core communication and collaboration tool for many businesses. In this session, we will walk you through Microsoft Teams, covering a range of features, tips and tricks – along with a couple of tools to help you enhance and evolve your Teams workflows.
January 21 – Get started with Photoshop What Sync says about the session: In this introductory session, we will introduce delegates to Adobe Photoshop, and walk you through your first Photoshop project. We will cover the basics, including setting your canvas size, working with layers, and some of the key tools like text.
January 28 – Get started with Illustrator What Sync says about the session: New to Illustrator? Not a problem… during this session, we will demonstrate some of the basics, helping to guide you through your first project. You will get to learn how to set up a new project, and how to use some of the key tools and features built-in to Illustrator.
February 4 – Get started with Spark What Sync says about the session: Adobe Spark comprises of three apps, Spark Page, Spark Post, and Spark Video – all allowing you to create content quickly. In this introductory session, we will explore the capabilities of Spark, and walk you through your first Spark project!
February 11 – Get started with InDesign What Sync says about the session: InDesign is an incredibly powerful and industry-leading desktop publishing software, ideal for anyone looking to create stunning print or digital media in the form of fliers, brochures, magazines, books/ebooks or posters. Join us to explore InDesign further, and learn some of the basics.
February 18 – Top Tips: Photoshop What Sync says about the session: Join us as we explore Photoshop, uncovering amazing features, new tools, and top tips from industry expert and Adobe trainer, Alan Rankin. Whether you’re still new to Photoshop, or a seasoned pro, this short session is for you.
February 25 – Top Tips: Illustrator What Sync says about the session: Industry expert and Adobe trainer, Alan Rankin, explores Adobe Illustrator – sharing his top hints and tips for creatives. Illustrator is an incredibly powerful and versatile tool, and in this short session, we will dig beneath the surface to explore some of the more advanced functions.
Tom stated: “This is a way for us to help support Manchester businesses who may have had to furlough staff.
“Sync is passionate about personal development and working with our local community to come out of this next lockdown stronger than ever.”Learn more about the tech courses and training available throughout the lockdown period by visiting the Syncwebsite.
What's On
Jason Manford adds TONNES of new dates to 2025 UK tour
Danny Jones
Local comedy legend Jason Manford has just added a tonne of new tour dates to his 2025 UK tour, and when we say a TONNE, we mean a big metric mega-tonne of them.
To be honest, there are so many he might as well be doing a whole extra tour and a half.
Jason already had plenty of gigs scheduled all throughout the year but now the Salford-born comic, presenter and all-round performer will be pretty much doubling his work rate and then some with an additional 89 new dates – 89!
Better yet, a good old chunk of them are in and around Greater Manchester, so if you’re mad for Manford, we’re going to go out on a limb and say you will absolutely be able to grab yourself a ticket.
Jason, 43, will be bringing his ‘A Manford All Seasons’ tour to a laundry list of new locations up and down the country.
Having already booked in a whopping 88 dates before deciding to hit copy and paste, this takes his total 2025 UK tour dates to a staggering 176 tour dates. Unreal.
Wouldn’t expect anything less than from a Northern lad putting the graft in, though, would you?
The now Stockport-based showman’s latest comedy offering has had a warm reception from fans and critics, with The Guardian hailing it as “expert observational comedy” and the Daily Telegraph applauding his “laid-back charm and sharp turn of phrase you can’t manufacture”.
Manford has had standing ovations most nights and as for the Manc funny man himself, Jason said: “I’m absolutely blown away by the response to this tour so far. I love touring and bringing some chuckles in these difficult times and so adding these dates means I can see even more of you all over the country.”
Having amassed a following through various projects on stage and screen, be it stand-up, acting, presenting, panel shows and even singing, he’s not only a household name but a pretty family-friendly one at that – a bonus that can go a long way with audiences.
I’m so pleased the ‘£15 for a single seat’ promotion is working! Come by yourself and have a chuckle https://t.co/BDy3xczF5T
Adding dates at the Stockport Plaza, Middleton Arena, The Albert Halls in Bolton; The Storyhouse in Chester, Parr Hall in Warrington, The Opera House in Buxton (let me catch my breath) and literally dozens more reaching far beyond the North West, he’s going to a busy man next year.
Oh, and there’s a big Co-op Live Arena gig thrown in there on 24 October 2025 too.
Put it this way, if you live in a place, he’s most likely coming somewhere near your direction.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, 29 November at 10am. You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Operation Ouch! returns to Manchester with new world-premiere immersive exhibition next year
Emily Sergeant
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition in Manchester next year.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is coming back to Manchester, and this time around, you can journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
The major new exhibition for children and families, which is titled Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You, will be premiering at the Science and Industry Museum early next year.
Visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
You’ll get to enter Dr Chris’ brain headquarters through his giant ear, making sure to dodge the earwax, before venturing through the five senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste with loads of hands-on science experiences, as well as discovering some of the secret senses that help us with our balance, know when it’s time to sleep, and even when to go for a wee.
This is your chance to joke around inside a giant eyeball, get stuck in with interactive games, and even find out about how our sensory experiences can vary from children who are living with disabilities.
Operation Ouch! returns to Manchester with new world-premiere immersive exhibition/ Credit: Science Museum Group
Video appearances from Dr Chris, Dr Xand, and Dr Ronx from the hit BBC children’s TV series, Operation Ouch!, will pop up throughout the exhibition to help visitors understand more about the science behind the fun.
Steven Leech, who is the Curator of Exhibitions at the Science and Industry Museum, said: “From sight and sound, to some lesser-known senses, our bodies are truly sense-sational. Our brains rely on our senses to help us understand and explore the world around us, and in this exhibition, you will take part in an epic experiment that is bursting with brilliant brain science.
“Just like our previous Operation Ouch! exhibition, Brains, Bogies and You will offer a playful experience that builds confidence in young people who want to explore science.
It’s opening at the Science and Industry Museum early next year / Credit: Science Museum Group
“It’s going to be a fantastic exhibition, so get ready for the trip of a lifetime and come and get stuck into the science inside all of us.”
More “delightfully disgusting details” about the exhibition’s return to Manchester is expected to be revealed very soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You will open at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester city centre on 14 February 2025 and will run until 4 January 2026 – with tickets priced at £10 each and now on sale.
The Manc -
18th January 2021 
