What are Skills Bootcamps?
Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible online courses of up to 14 weeks for learners living in England, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track career progression.
These have been developed as part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs, helping everyone gain skills for life and providing the perfect first step into a new career. The £3bn Government initiative is designed to close the skills gap in the UK that has been intensified by the disruption that coronavirus caused to job sectors and businesses.
Skills Bootcamps are a great way to progress in a current position with the support of your employer, change careers, or secure employment.
Who are Skills Bootcamps for?
Skills Bootcamps are for:
- Adults aged 19 or over as of the 31st August 2023
- Learners who are in work and have their employer's support or who are self-employed and looking to grow their business
- Learners who are recently unemployed or returning to work after a break and are looking to get started with an entry-level job in a new sector
- Learners who are looking to build upon a Skills Bootcamp by completing an apprenticeship in their chosen topic
- Applicants who have lived in England for at least the last 3 consecutive years, and have the right to work in the United Kingdom (there are exceptions for Ukraine or Afghanistan nationals)
- Learners who are not currently undertaking any formal education, including another Skills Bootcamp
- Learners who have reliable internet connection, a laptop or computer with a camera and microphone and access to Microsoft Office
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Applying to one of our Skills Bootcamps does not guarantee you a place on our course, as you must meet the eligibility criteria and speak to one of our advisors to ensure you are aware of the course commitments.
Spaces are also likely to fill up before the deadline, so we would advise you to apply sooner rather than later to give yourself the best chance of acceptance onto the course.
You can pre-enrol for one of our Skills Bootcamps alongside your ideal time to attend your up to 7 hours of live learning sessions, that you will need to commit to every week for the duration of your course. Read our Frequently Asked Questions for more details or give us a call on 01757 600 697.
Sign up today...
Applying to one of our Skills Bootcamps does not guarantee you a place on our course, as you must meet the eligibility criteria and speak to one of our advisors to ensure you are aware of the course commitments.
Spaces are also likely to fill up before the deadline, so we would advise you to apply sooner rather than later to give yourself the best chance of acceptance onto the course.
You can pre-enrol for one of our Skills Bootcamps alongside your ideal time to attend your up to 7 hours of live learning sessions, that you will need to commit to every week for the duration of your course. Read our Frequently Asked Questions for more details or give us a call on 01757 600 697.
These online courses help individuals develop the vital skills they need to gain employment and support employers to source ideal candidates to fill the skills gaps in their business. Learners looking to sign up to a Skills Bootcamp course in order to secure a promotion or take on additional duties will need to be sponsored and co-funded by their employer.
We have a range of courses available across a number of sectors to help boost skills and sustainable employment in England. Our courses are designed with employers around the skills they need and are all taught online with expert tuition and outstanding e-learning content.
As a trusted provider of Skills Bootcamps, we understand flexibility is key when it comes to learning around your busy lifestyles, so we will be offering you the chance to recommend when you would like to start. Please note that we work on a first come, first served basis so, although we will try our best to honour your preferred start date, this may not always be possible.
Employers
If you are a business looking to interview skilled candidates or simply looking to upskill your current employees, then our Skills Bootcamps are a fantastic route to success.
As a trusted national Skills Bootcamp provider, we can give your business access to our high-quality pipeline of learners who have already completed a Skills Bootcamp with us. We will actively support your business in sourcing local talent to interview for your current vacancies, ensuring you get the skills you need, with no recruitment fee.
Our wide range of Skills Bootcamps enable your employees to develop the skills they need to progress in their current role and futureproof your business in a rapidly changing labour market.
Register your interest by enquiring now or give us a call on 01757 606 648 and one of our expert team will be able to give you advice.
Enquire nowBenefits to Learners
There are several benefits to individual learners and employees for participating in a Skills Bootcamp
- Guaranteed job interview (for those unemployed or looking to change careers)
- Perfect for individuals looking to change their career through upskilling
- Delivered via distance learning, allowing learners to choose when and where to study
- Perfect for individuals who are looking to study a new topic before completing an apprenticeship in their chosen topic
- Engaging and interactive activities that stretch learners’ thinking and help put their new, extended knowledge into practice
- Expert curriculum tutors are assigned to provide the support learners need to succeed
- Develop learners’ knowledge, skills and confidence to enhance their future work and life
- Personalised learning support from our excellent team of Learner Support Advisors
- Support with future progression through our Careers and Progression Team
Benefits to Employers
The benefits to a business are through helping your current employees upskill and by offering interviews to local talent
- Save time and money on recruitment by employing dedicated candidates who have already completed one of our Skills Bootcamps who we will match directly to your current vacancies
- Develop a loyal and talented workforce with the skills you need swiftly
- Futureproof your business in a rapidly changing labour market
- Improve productivity; staff are motivated to learn new skills, provide new ideas and a fresh perspective
- Gain access to a bank of skilled adults by working with The Skills Network as an existing Skills Bootcamp provider
- Upskill your employees to progress internally, increase staff retention
- Stay ahead of trends with the current economic demands of digital change
- Options to enrol multiple cohorts of learners, or to interview learners graduating these programmes
- Receive support from a trusted Skills Bootcamp provider
To find out more, complete our pre-enrol form or your chosen course and one of our expert team will be in touch with to discuss your options.
Skills Bootcamps available
You’ve heard all about what Skills Bootcamps are and even the benefits, so now it’s time to tell you about the courses we have available – we’re sure there’s one to suit you!
We will be offering a range of different courses which include Care, Cyber Security, Data Analysis, Digital Marketing, Infrastructure, Project Management, Software Development and Technical Service Desk.
Check out our courses in more detail below, if you spot one that you’d like to know more about, you can pre-enrol and we’ll be in touch with you.
For more information read our Frequently Asked Questions.
Find out which Skills Bootcamps are available in your region:
Cambridge and Peterborough
Only available for learners who currently reside in Cambridge and Peterborough
- Data Analysis
- Project Management
National
Available for learners across England
- Care
- Cyber Security
- Data Analyst
- Digital Marketing
- Infrastructure Technician
- Software Development
- Sustainability
- Technical Service Desk
Please note that, due to the way Skills Bootcamps are funded, you can only complete a course that is available in the area that you currently reside in.
Care
The Health and Social Care Skills Bootcamp covers a range of general skills and knowledge needed by anyone with a desire to or already working within a health and social care role. This course is split into a number of modules covering subjects such as equality and inclusion, confidentiality, mental health conditions, disabilities, and more.
Cyber Security
This Skills Bootcamp was designed to help people with no prior tech knowledge enter the workforce as skilled Network and Cyber specialists. Gain knowledge of Network Architecture, Cyber Security best practice, IT essentials and Cyber Threats, and develop a broad understanding of the fundamental building blocks needed to work with Networks and Cyber Security.
Data Analysis
This Skills Bootcamp will provide students with in-depth skills and knowledge in a range of areas that would be relevant for a Data Analyst role. This course is broken down in to a number of different modules, covering subjects such as database concepts, data types, organisational tools for database analysis, ethical data use, data modelling, and more.
Digital Marketing
The Digital Marketer Skills Bootcamp provides a more in-depth overview of a range of subjects related to Digital Marketing. Made up of a series of modules, it covers a number of key areas such as Social Media Marketing, SEO, Email Marketing, Digital Advertising Practices, CRM (Customer Relationship Marketing,) Inbound Marketing, and more.
Infrastructure Technician
Our Infrastructure Technician Skills Bootcamp will provide students with a great level of skills, knowledge and experience, helping them to fully understand the ins and outs of IT Infrastructure. This course covers IT essentials, networking and architecture, mobile and operating systems, cloud services, problem solving, coding and logic and more.
Project Management
The Project Management Skills Bootcamp is an immersive learning experience built on the Business Simulation Training model. Learners will partake in a scenario-based journey that covers all of the core elements leading to the successful implementation of project deliverables. This Skills Bootcamp will result in immediate at desk application of tools and techniques to improve project performance.
Software Development
Our Software Development Skills Bootcamp is the perfect course to teach you the essentials required to step into the sought after sector of software development. This course will cover the fundamentals of writing programmes, rapid application development (RAD,) software architecture, software configuration management tools, interface design and more.
Sustainability
This Sustainability Skills Bootcamp will provide learners with an overview of the principles of sustainable development, communities and energy management, and the social responsibility of businesses in relation to sustainability. Learners will also look at aspects such as waste management and sustainable transport and applying sustainability in their own setting through zero-waste.
Technical Service Desk
Our Technical Service Desk Skills Bootcamp covers a range of subjects relevant for someone working in an IT Technician role. It will provide students with key skills, knowledge and experience needed for the role such as diagnosing digital problems, technical problem solving, communication, IT infrastructure, databases, CRM, operating systems, the cloud, and more.
