Provision of academic skills delivery to University of Cumbria students presents a range of challenges relating to ability, geography and existing experience. Cumbria’s student population includes those entering HE for the first time, on standalone continuing professional development modules through to returning students engaging in Masters-level study. This paper will focus on the use of pre-entry online skills programmes to bridge the skills gap and prepare students for the expectations of University level study. From Head Start, the Level 4 programme, to the creation of two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) using the Blackboard Open Education platform: Head Start Plus (levels 5 & 6) and Preparing for postgraduate study (level 7). These programmes have been created by staff within the Academic Services and Retention team, which brings together subject librarians, information literacy practitioners and learning and skills development expertise. Collaboration with the academic Quality and Development team and colleagues with e-learning expertise has provided scalable and sustainable solutions for our extended provision of pre-entry support for students. This presentation will highlight both the benefits and challenges of using an online skills programme as a transitional tool in a small, multi-campus University and will be of interest to other librarians involved in skills delivery, creation of online content, retention and induction activities.