Managing eligibility requirements for your Skills Bootcamp

Skills Bootcamps are open to adults aged 19+ looking to learn new skills, and have specific requirements around eligibility. Get it right with our quick and helpful guide.

Skills Bootcamps are funded by the Department for Education via the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Funding is available for training providers to work with employers to deliver training.

Skills Bootcamps include a minimum of 60 hours of flexible training provided over 16 weeks. Training will also include funding for wraparound support that is specific to Skills Bootcamps.

To secure this funding, the government sets out criteria for the provider to meet. This includes:

• Delivering support as set out in the original bid, e.g. coaching or mentoring support
• Providing support from programme application, throughout the programme and after the programme has finished
• Post-programme support focused on moving learners into jobs, or onto new roles or opportunities
• Upfront screening of applicants
• Soft skills (work readiness) training
• Identifying vacancies, roles and opportunities available to the learner that will help close the local skills gap and fill gaps in employment
• Providing pastoral care to help participants complete the Skills Bootcamp
• Extra advice and guidance to support the learner into a positive outcome, such as CV-writing support and mock interviews
• Signposting unsuccessful interviewees onto other job and training opportunities through the National Careers Service

Once you have secured funding, this wraparound support will be monitored through monthly contract monitoring meetings as part of your overall delivery and performance.

You won’t be able to transfer funding for a Skills Bootcamp with any other budgets such as the Adult Education Budget (AEB), apprenticeships or 19-24 traineeship programmes.

Who is eligible to take part in a Skills Bootcamp?

Skills Bootcamps are designed for people close to the job market who are self-employed, employed or have taken a break from work but have been away less than 12 months. For those who have been away longer than 12 months, you must be able to show that the Skills Bootcamp will successfully support them back into work or into an apprenticeship.

Skills Bootcamps are also available to serving prisoners who are due to be released within six months of completing the course, or those who are on temporary release.

To be eligible for funding for your Skills Bootcamp, learners on your programme should:

• Be aged 19 or older on or before 31 August 2022
• Have the right to work in the UK (check here)
• Meet residency requirements (refer to the Residency Eligibility section of the AEB funding rules)
• Live in England (exceptions below)

Funding is only available for individuals outside England if:

• The skills training can only be accessed in England, where it must be delivered
• They will be working in England as a result of the Skills Bootcamp
• Their main place of work is in England

Meeting Skills Bootcamp funding requirements

There is specific evidence that needs to be captured at enrolment to a Skills Bootcamp to ensure training providers are meeting the requirements and the appropriate funding can be claimed.

Enrolment is also your first touch point with your new learner, so it’s important to impress at the very first interaction. Skills Bootcamps are short courses, so a quick and easy enrolment process is needed to ensure that the learner starts the course on time and becomes actively engaged faster.

If enrolment is too long or complicated, it can alienate the learner and create a greater risk of withdrawal.

How Bud can help with Skills Bootcamps

Bud’s industry-leading platform gives you full visibility of your training delivery. It allows learners to enrol quickly and easily, giving them a streamlined experience from the very beginning.

More of the top 20 independent training providers use Bud than any other platform. Find out why – book a demo today.