Thousands are Taking Advantage of the Free Training and Businesses Can Benefit From a Highly Skilled Workforce.
LCR combined authority has secured £8.1 million to go towards the delivery of Skills Bootcamps within the region. We previously had an informal chat with Paul Amann of the City Region about the direction for the City Region, and we’re confident that the implementation of training and education schemes like this are a high priority for the city region.
This comes as part of the 3rd wave of Skills Bootcamps within the UK which the Department of Education launched with a £60 million tender. This is the biggest expansion to date of the Skills Bootcamp scheme after successfully piloting over two years ago within the digital industry.
The courses are intended to bridge the skill gap within the UK, enabling individuals to move into suitable roles in employment and provide people with the skills employers really need. Skills Bootcamps are one part of the National Skills Fund, a £2.5billion initiative to help adults train to improve their job prospects.
Companies who are not interested in taking part in the Skills Bootcamp are benefiting from other training programmes by recruiting fresh graduates or taking on learners for work experience, more information on this in the ‘Using the Scheme to Recruit New Talent’ section.
Antony from Make a Difference Marketing teaching Photoshop to Ashley from Elegance Aesthetics in partnership with Start Digital
What is a Skills Bootcamp?
Skills Bootcamps are flexible courses, lasting between 6-16 weeks long. They are Level 3 and above training programmes delivered by different providers within the UK in various sectors including: construction, digital, engineering, green skills, HGV drivers and rail.
Skills Bootcamps are intended to support a variety of different people including:
- Business owners looking to upskill their existing staff for new business opportunities.
- Individuals self-employed looking to advance within their industry.
- Employed/ unemployed looking to progress in their career or who are embarking in a new one.
Why Should Employers be Interested in Skills Bootcamps?
As previously mentioned, Skills Bootcamps are not just for people looking for a new career; they are valuable training programmes for business owners and self-employed.
Skills Bootcamps allow business owners to upskill themselves or their employees in skills within the digital industry. This can help with your company’s branding, web design, digital marketing, and social media management; all of which can increase your brand awareness and overall sales.
Jack from Make a Difference Marketing helping Steve develop his knowledge on and explore web development in partnership with Start Digital.
How Do You Get Involved?
Reskill your existing talent
The digital industry is fast changing, so keeping up to date with the latest skills and resources can be vital to your company.
Skills bootcamps are flexible and can be as little as 8 hours per week. Meaning in as little as 6 weeks, you and/or your staff could have the latest skills within the industry.
To apply to a Digital Skills Bootcamp, you can easily enquire with our partner company Start Digital: https://startdigitaltraining.co.uk/apply/
Fro a full range of bootcamps, you can visit the government website’s list here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/find-a-skills-bootcamp/list-of-skills-bootcamps#north-west
Using the Scheme to Recruit New Talent
Interviewing a Skills Bootcamp Graduate and Accessing £1,000 for Your Business.
Lacking the resources or team to advance your company and considering recruiting for a digital position?
If a skills bootcamp is not for you personally, you could benefit from first access to a pool of talent that comes from learners who have graduated from a Skills Bootcamp.
As well as recruiting a talented graduate with up-to-date digital skills, you will also benefit from ongoing support and no recruitment fees.
The government’s ‘Traineeship Programme‘ also allows you to access £1,000 per trainee (up to £10,000) that you take on. You can read our article on this here, or contact Start Digital with the information in the next paragraph.
To enquire about an interview with a Skills Bootcamp graduate, contact info@startdigitaltraining.co.uk for more information.
Help make Skills Bootcamps more effective
As mentioned in a previous article, if you’re not currently looking to recruit, your company could benefit from taking on a Traineeship learner for work experience.
The aim of Traineeships that learners leave the programme with a genuine understanding of the industry and receive employable skills. You could get involved by having a learn complete work experience within your company.
Contact Start Digital to discuss work experience opportunities for learners at Info@startdigitaltraining.co.uk