‘Skills Bootcamps’ to bring more opportunities to retrain or switch career

‘Skills Bootcamps’ to bring more opportunities to retrain or switch career

People in Lancashire will be able to retrain, improve their skills and even step into their dream careers thanks to more funding and wider opportunities from April. This is thanks to Skills Bootcamps, short training programmes which can help people retrain, improve their skills, or even switch careers, as well as enabling companies to retrain staff for a small contribution.

Now the Skills Bootcamps are set to get more funding and expand their remit, taking in the digital and cyber, advanced manufacturing, green power, HGV driving, and healthcare sectors.

Run by the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub which supports Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council, Skills Bootcamps have proved an essential stepping stone to helping hundreds of people improve their skills, and scores of adults to switch to new, fulfilling and better paid careers.

More than 800 Lancashire residents have engaged in them so far with many of these still on their course, while 113 people have already secured work as a result. It’s anticipated that this figure will grow as people are sup ported into employment or to progress within their current job. With more providers currently being appointed, Skills Bootcamps are homing in on a range of sectors to enable Lancashire residents to secure, or progress in technically skilled roles.

One delighted participant whose dream of setting up her own business came true thanks to the Skills Bootcamp programme, said: “The bootcamp has impacted my professional journey by expanding my knowledge. I have gained confidence, found it great to network, gained new skills such as an understanding of artificial intelligence, better use of social media platforms, and also gained the confidence to get out there and fulfil my dream.”

Another participant, who secured a great job as a web developer, said: “The Bootcamp is very welcoming and provides an environment to learn together as well as give an opportunity to meet industry experts which increases your chances of getting hired. The programme is intense, but highly rewarding at the end. I also have a new job as a web developer thanks to this opportunity.”

Funded by the Department for Education as part of the government’s Skills for Life campaign, the Skills Bootcamps in Lancashire cater to a diverse range of learners, including those in full-time employment, self-employed, recently unemployed and people returning after a career break. Crucially, the Skills Bootcamps are also delivered in flexible ways to accommodate people’s busy lives – with many combining online and in person learning.

Phillippa Williamson, Leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “It’s brilliant to see further investment in the Skills Bootcamp programme across Lancashire, which has already had a significant impact on the region’s labour market. The publication of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Strategic Framework will drive further investment in Lancashire to the benefit of businesses and residents as we move towards Lancashire establishing a Combined County Authority, establishing the county as a highly skilled region for key growth areas like digital and cyber, and low carbon technologies.”

Wes Johnson, chair of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Board, said: “At the heart of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Strategic Framework and the Skills Bootcamp programme is collaboration – providers and employers working together to solve local skills challenges. We need more people in Lancashire with enhanced skills in areas like digital, cyber, advanced manufacturing, low carbon and logistics – working together we are helping to drive up the skills that businesses need and enabling residents to secure good quality, sustainable employment.”

Skills Bootcamps are a vital part of the new Lancashire Skills and Employment Strategic Framework, developed in partnership with employers and stakeholders across Lancashire, a vital strategy identifying skills priorities aligned with Lancashire’s drive towards a Combined County Authority.

This means budgets for skills and training will be devolved to Lancashire, building on what the Skills Bootcamp programme has already achieved in the region. It will benefit both Lancashire businesses and residents, while at the same time boosting productivity and employment prospects in the region, in line with the Lancashire 2050 Vision and ambitions.

Are you interested in finding out more about what a Skills Bootcamp can do for you? Click here https://youtu.be/NfwEELxumEk

For more information about the Lancashire Skills Bootcamp programme and the Lancashire Skills and Employment Strategic Framework, please visit the Lancashire Skills Hub website, which will be updated regularly as new Skills Bootcamps go live: https://www.lancashireskillshub.co.uk/