Skills Bootcamps – a new learning opportunity

 Are you looking for a new opportunity to learn a new skill or to progress your career? Would your employees benefit from completing a short course with an aim to improve their job performance or enhance their career prospects? If so, Skills Bootcamps could be the answer for you!

What are Skills Bootcamps? 

Skills Bootcamps are flexible training courses for adults aged 19+ and consist of a minimum of 60 guided learning hours spread across a maximum of 16 weeks. Skills Bootcamps are employer-led training courses that can be used when hiring new employees or to upskill existing employees, to help the skills and knowledge that your business needs.

At the end of the Skills Bootcamp, the learner must either:

• Evidence how they are using their new skills in their existing role
• Evidence how they have gained a new role with more responsibilities at their existing employer
• Be offered an interview for a live vacancy in the relevant field
• Proceed to an accelerated apprenticeship – which is the standard apprenticeship but shortened by at least three months to recognise the Skills Bootcamps learning
• Be supported into self-employment.

Skills Bootcamps are free to both learners and employers when they are hiring new employees. If an employer wishes to use Skills Bootcamps to upskill existing staff, there is an associated cost which varies to between 10% to 30% of the learners’ costs, depending on the business size.

What are Skills Bootcamps used for?

These short intensive courses enable adults looking to enter a new sector, change careers or for those looking to upskill in their current roles and stay with existing employers with new responsibilities.

Skills Bootcamps have been identified to help address the national skills shortage and give participants the opportunity to gain key knowledge, skills and opportunities that may not have been accessible to them before. Some of these barriers may be due to:

• Not having the time to fully commit to an apprenticeship or higher education course
• Lack of confidence
• Not being able to identify the right course to meet their needs.

Here is an example of one of our 19 Skills Bootcamps on offer:

Manufacturing Efficiency Skills Bootcamp Overview

Designed to improve the productivity and efficiency of manufacturing organisations, this Skills Bootcamp is exclusively available to businesses within Buckinghamshire.

The 10-week programme is open to leaders and managers looking to upskill and optimise their organisation’s processes and outputs. The programme includes an extensive business analysis which is then used to help   develop short and longer-term opportunities to drive efficiency.

Learners will also benefit from personal development modules where they will have the opportunity to enhance their leadership and management skills to further drive productivity and efficiency throughout your organisation.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Analyse and improve their organisation’s ability to execute on strategy
• Develop a stronger leadership team
• Achieve profitable, sustainable growth

Manufacturing Efficiency Skills Bootcamp cost per learner:

• £400 per learner if your business employs 249 or less employees (10% of the cost)
• £1,050 per learner if your business employs 250 or more employees (30% of the cost)

Further information

If you’re interested in signing up to a Skills Bootcamp or know someone who might be, you can access our current opportunities here:Results | Find a course | National Careers Service

If you are interested in hiring employees or accessing a Skills Bootcamp to up-skill an employee, please contact us for more information skills.bootcamps@buckinghamshire.gov.uk