The government has announced that its successful Skills Bootcamp training programmes will be expanded across the country, offering an extra 16,000 fully funded places for adults to upskill or retrain.
The expansion covers a range of digital and technical training including in green skills, such as solar energy installation, sustainable agriculture, nuclear energy, and green transport, along with coding and software development, so more adults have the opportunity to access the skills and training they need that leads directly to a job.
Richard Fuller, MP for North East Bedfordshire, said:
This government is clear that no matter where you live, it will help you get the skills you need to train, retrain, and get into jobs you want, and our economy needs.
Skills Bootcamps offer flexible training of up to 16 weeks, so adults have the opportunity upskill or retrain in sector-specific skills including technical and digital training and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.
New careers guidance has been published for all schools and colleges, to make sure that every young person is aware of all the options available to them, including apprenticeships and technical education opportunities instead of concentrating on the traditional university route.
Since April, adults without a full qualification at Level 3 (A level equivalent) have been able to access almost 400 free courses, through the Free Courses for Jobs offer, ranging from engineering to healthcare to conservation, to help them gain in-demand skills and open up job opportunities. In January the government set out vital reforms to post-16 education and training in the Skills for Jobs White Paper, which will ensure everyone no matter where they live can gain the skills they need to progress and secure a great career at any stage of their life.
These measures build on the work already underway to transform further and technical education, including the roll out of new T Levels, working with employers to create more high-quality apprenticeship opportunities, establishing a system of Higher Technical Education and a network of Institutes of Technology, backed by up to £290 million.
