Worcestershire receives £1 million Skills Bootcamp boost

By Peter Davison

27 June 2023

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Skills Bootcamps cover a variety of sectors

Worcestershire County Council has been awarded an additional £1 million funding to expand the highly successful Skills Bootcamps program across the county.

Skills Bootcamps, funded by the Department for Education and promoted by Careers Worcestershire, are free courses that are open to anyone in Worcestershire aged 19 and over.

They offer the chance to gain new skills for a new career as well as upskilling.

The courses have proven popular, with over 100 people signing up to them since November 2022.

Skills Bootcamps cover a variety of sectors such as construction, plumbing, decorating, air source heat pump installation, nursing, social care, leadership, management, plus digital and technology skills, and leads to a guaranteed job interview with a local employer at the course completion.

Worcestershire County Councillor Marc Bayliss, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy, Infrastructure, and Skills highlighted the importance of investing in Worcestershire's future workforce, said: "We are delighted to receive this additional funding to deliver more Skills Bootcamps across Worcestershire.

"It is crucial to support our residents in gaining the skills they need to develop, grow, and improve their employability. By providing free access to training programs, we are empowering Worcestershire people to succeed in these thriving industries.

The Skills Bootcamps program has become a beacon of opportunity for individuals seeking to upskill and enter new sectors. By partnering with local employers, Worcestershire County Council ensures that the courses align with industry needs, bridging the gap between skills demand and supply. The council remains committed to fostering a skilled workforce and driving economic growth in the region.”

With the additional funding, Worcestershire County Council aims to reach a larger audience, enabling even more people across the county to access Skills Bootcamps.

The comprehensive courses take place with local education providers Heart of Worcestershire College, Kidderminster College, and Herefordshire and Ludlow College as well as through partnership with local businesses such as Worcester Bosch, The Development Manager Ltd., and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Group Training Association.

By Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country.

An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts.

Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.