Thousands more people are set to benefit from Skills Bootcamps, which are free and flexible courses that help people aged 19 or older gain the necessary skills to secure or progress in a job, in sectors where there is a shortage of workers.
Skills Bootcamps will be backed by a further £34 million from 2024 to 2025 and aim to help adults with career profession and better pay.
The courses last up to 16 weeks and those who take part are guaranteed to be offered a job interview after they’ve completed the training.
Around 16,120 people started a Skills Bootcamp between April 2021 and May 2022, surpassing our 16,000 target.
The additional funding announced in the Spring Budget 2023 will ensure that up to 8,000 more people will benefit from this career changing scheme, bringing the total number of training places available next year up to 64,000.
Are Skills Bootcamps free and how can it help me in my career?
Yes, Skills Bootcamps are completely free.
The skills you’ll learn on a Bootcamp could help you change careers or progress in your existing job by giving you valuable training that enhances your work experience and your knowledge of a specific industry.
What’s more, you’ll be offered a job interview at the end of the course, giving you an opportunity to get your foot in the door of a new sector or enable you to take the next step in the sector you already work in.
There are hundreds of Skills Bootcamp courses available across a number of different sectors, including digital and green industries, construction and engineering.
For example, there are courses in cyber security, coding and web-design, project management, or health and social care.
What’s more, all Skills Bootcamps deliver industry recognised training and will also start being inspected by Ofsted from April 2023.
Who can take part in a Skills Bootcamp?
Skills Bootcamps are open to all adults aged 19 or older who are full-time or part-time employed, self-employed or unemployed, as well as adults returning to work after a break.
For most Skills Bootcamps, you’d don’t need to have any previous knowledge of the job or sector.
Those who are already in a job can also participate in a Bootcamp course to develop their skillset.
If you’re interested, ask your employer about taking part in a Bootcamp – they’ll be able to help you decide if it’s something that could benefit you in work and if they would be happy for you to study alongside your current job.
How can Skills Bootcamps benefit employers?
Skills Bootcamps help employers by training potential new and existing employees with the necessary skills to fill job vacancies, particularly in sectors that are struggling to recruit. In turn, this helps the economy grow.
A recent report also showed that employers felt that Skills Bootcamps helped to increase the diversity of their organisation and supported them to recruit underrepresented groups.
How can I find a Skills Bootcamp?
You can find the right Skills Bootcamp course for you on the dedicated webpage.
If you would like help choosing a course or advice on your job options, get in touch via webchat at or by phone on 0800 100 900.
Whether you are looking for a better job or wanting to advance in your current profession, a Skills Bootcamp can be a great way to boost your prospects.
What else are you doing to improve adult learning?
To further build on our adult learning offer, we recently announced the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. From 2025, people will be able to access loans worth up to £37,000 to upskill or retrain, no matter where they are in life.
People will be able to use the loan to pay for full or part-time study, for a variety of courses, from degrees to Higher Technical Qualifications, including modules.
We’re also investing in ‘returnerships’. This a new offer which brings together three programmes to help get older workers back to work.
These include Apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps and Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). ‘Returnerships’ will raise awareness of these pathways, providing a clear route back into work for adults over the age of 50.