West Midlands secures funding boost for construction skills bootcamps

By Nicky Godding

22 March 2021

Share

The Business Magazine article image for: West Midlands secures funding boost for construction skills bootcamps

The West Midlands will receive £475,000 to expand the delivery of the successful construction skills bootcamps, helping more people to gain vital skills in demand from employers.

The funding boost – which comes from the £43 million announced last November to establish pioneering new skills bootcamps - will focus on developing test models that can be scaled to other areas.

Skills bootcamps offer free, flexible courses lasting up to 16 weeks covering areas including construction, digital and technical. The courses are open to adults aged 19 and over and provide a chance to learn sector-specific skills and offer a fast-track to an interview with a local employer at the end..

Skills bootcamps are currently running in six areas across England, with more than 2,700 learners participating so far.

Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills Gillian Keegan said:

“It is fantastic that we are expanding our construction skills bootcamps to help even more people gain the vital skills the sector is crying out for.

“Skills bootcamps are unique, giving people the chance to upskill or retrain for free over a short period of time, with a clear line of sight to a job at the end.

“I’d encourage anyone in the West Midlands who is looking for new opportunities in construction to find out more”.

The skills bootcamp programme is being expanded into other areas of the country this year. The £43 million investment from the National Skills Fund, will enable greater availability across the country and a wider range of course subjects on offer to meet the skills needs of local areas.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.