Skills Bootcamps: What training providers need to know

Skills Bootcamps are government-funded training courses offering new skills to adults aged 19+. Here’s everything you need to know about running one.

A Skills Bootcamp offers adults aged 19 or over the opportunity to learn sector-specific skills, so they can access new opportunities.

The training offered is developed in partnership with employers, training providers and authorities to respond to the needs of the local job market.

Everyone who completes the course will have guaranteed access to a job interview or opportunity at the end of the course, at no cost to the employer.

Training must be provided on a flexible basis so that learners can fit it around full or part-time employment or other responsibilities, and can last up to 16 weeks. The training offered should be levels three to five (medium to higher level skills) and level two in some sectors.

What are the requirements for a Skills Bootcamp?

This training is provided to adults who are aged 19+ and either in work, self-employed, unemployed or returning to work after a break and looking to learn new skills or upskill.

Every Skills Bootcamp should be designed to encourage the participation of underrepresented groups such as ethnic minority background, disability, female, veterans and those who might face barriers to employment.

Serving prisoners who are due to be released within six months of completing a Skills Bootcamp can also access these courses, as well as those who are on temporary release.

How do I become a Skills Bootcamp provider?

The government has committed a significant investment into Skills Bootcamps from 2022-2025. The bootcamps can be delivered by those who have qualified onto the dynamic purchasing systems (DPS). This includes:

• independent training providers (ITPs)
• further education (FE) colleges
• employers

Once you have qualified onto the DPS you can then bid for a contract to deliver a Skills Bootcamp. If you’re successful in winning a contract as part of a commercial procurement process, you can access funding from the government and be listed as an official provider.

To be successful, you will need to demonstrate your previous experience of working closely with employers and be able to easily track learner performance and report on success.

If you are an employer who would like to use Skills Bootcamps to train existing employees, you could access funding for up to 90% of the training costs.

What subjects should I offer?

Skills Bootcamps should help fill gaps in the local jobs market and are currently focused around three key areas:

Digital and professional skills such as:

• Digital marketing
• Coding
• Project management

Technical training such as:

• Logistics (HGV driving)
• Engineering
• Construction

Green skills such as:

• Solar energy
• Agriculture technology

Unique benefits of a Skills Bootcamp

Skills Bootcamps differ from many other programmes because they don’t end when the course of learning is finished.

One of the key requirements of the provider is to continue engaging with the learner post-Bootcamp, so that the learner can progress to a set outcome. Learners will only be classed as completing the course once they have gained access to one of these opportunities:

• Offer of a job interview (which must be continuous employment for at least 12 weeks or an apprenticeship) that uses the skills acquired through the Skills Bootcamp
• New role and/or responsibilities that uses the skills acquired through the Skills Bootcamp
• Written confirmation or plan from learners of how the new learning has been/will be applied to acquire new opportunities which uses the skills acquired on the Skills Bootcamps
• Offer of an accelerated apprenticeship interview linked to the new skills acquired on the Skills Bootcamp

To ensure these goals are met, training providers should work with employers to deliver training that meets the requirements of a Skills Bootcamp and helps to fill a gap in the local job market.

Delivering a Skills Bootcamp

Skills Bootcamp training must either:

• Be accredited
• Be aligned to occupational standards managed by the Institute for Apprenticeship & Technical Education (IFATE)
• Use a recognised standard for representing attainment, for example Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement (RARPA) or Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA)

Each Skills Bootcamp must have a minimum of 60 Guided Learning Hours (GLH). Training can be delivered in person or online, although pre-recorded content does not count towards the GLHs.

Easily manage your Skills Bootcamp with Bud

Bud is an intuitive digital platform that streamlines the delivery of apprenticeships and vocational skills training. Built with compliance in mind, it gives you full visibility over learner progress with easy-to-use reporting dashboards.

Find out more about Bud: Book a demo or chat with one of our experts.