Skills Bootcamps aim to help address labour shortages

Skills Bootcamps are to train 240 people in construction, logistics and other sectors facing labour shortages – boosting their employability. New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership has appointed eight specialist training providers to run the courses after working with Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils to secure £1m of funding from the Department for Education. Skills Bootcamps are part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee for everyone to gain skills for life and 240 learners in Norfolk and Suffolk will benefit from the scheme by March 2023. They will be given IT, construction, logistics, domestic retrofit or green skills, and introductions to arboriculture and farming, as well as training in leadership and management. The eight providers include four from the New Anglia region: • Action Community Enterprises CIC (ACE), which supports young people and unemployed adults in Norfolk • Netmatters, which has offices in Wymondham, Great Yarmouth and Cambridge • Suffolk New College, which has campuses in Ipswich, Leiston and Otley • Turning Factor, which has offices in Norwich and Cambridge The other four are: • Anicca Digital Ltd, an award-winning digital marketing agency • CoGrammar Ltd, an edtech startup that focuses on closing the global tech skills gap • House Builder XL Ltd, a software developer for small construction businesses • The Retrofit Academy CIC, which develops new qualifications and training to support the Government’s net zero agenda. The courses will be free to individual learners and open to anyone aged 19+ with the right to live and work in the UK. People taking part will learn new skills to enter employment or enhance skills to support career progression. The self-employed will be able to build their skills so they can win new business. These will be short, intensive training courses, lasting from around 60 hours to 16 weeks and involving a mix of in-person and online learning – depending on the course. Courses will start at different times from September 2022 to March 2023. Learners will receive a completion certificate which will increase their employability. Many lead to an actual qualification! “We will even guarantee the unemployed an interview at the end of their course with a local employer,” says New Anglia LEP’s recently appointed Skills Broker, Bev Wallman. “The Skills Bootcamps are heavily subsidised to encourage take-up. SMEs will pay just 10% of the cost of training their employees, which is exceptional value for money. Larger companies will pay 30% but that still represents a significant cost saving.” New Anglia LEP’s Skills Advisory Panel consulted widely with industry to identify the sectors with significant unfilled vacancies and where business growth was most at risk from skills gaps. These Skills Bootcamps will enable such businesses to recruit from within, so helping them win the war for talent while boosting productivity. Their employees will not only gain new skills but will also grow in confidence and self-esteem. The Skills Bootcamps will deliver practical training in skills that individuals can immediately apply at work. They will also come with ‘wrap-around’ services such as mentoring and coaching, particularly for the unemployed, to help them apply for work. By providing targeted training to key sectors in the local economy, New Anglia LEP, alongside Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils, aims to support individuals and businesses during challenging times. Cllr Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council Cabinet member for Growing the Economy, said: “We are always looking for ways to boost skills in Norfolk, and securing such a large investment is a fantastic step towards this. “The money will enable us to deliver flexible and accessible courses to those in and out of work, boosting skills and wages in key areas such as digital, technical, and green roles. “These courses will give people the skills they need to access in-demand jobs and higher pay in the future.” Cllr Rachel Hood, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Education, SEND and Skills, said: “The Skills Bootcamps will provide a new opportunity for businesses in several areas of the economy to upskill their staff in areas of need and recruit new talent.” Find out more To find out how businesses can apply on behalf of their employees, please contact New Anglia LEP’s Skills Broker Bev Wallman at [email protected].