£5.1 million is available to employers and training providers to deliver specialist training as part of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) Wave 4 Skills Bootcamps. You can apply by February 27 to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to upskill your team.

If you are an employer looking for an affordable route to develop the skills of your workforce or recruit qualified new employees, Skills Bootcamps could be a great option.

Skills Bootcamps are developed in partnership with employers and training providers to help fill local skills gaps and vacancies. They offer employers access to specialist training for the skills you are looking for, helping to build a loyal and talented workforce to futureproof your business.

The programme is funded through the Department of Education’s National Skills Fund and forms part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, helping adults 19+ gain Skills for Life.

Funding covers the following sectors:

  • ‍Digital – Marketing, workplace skills, technical skills
  • Green Skills – Retrofit, green transport, organisational sustainability
  • ‍Accelerated apprenticeships (all sectors)
  • ‍Leadership and management (all sectors)
  • Construction – Poly competency, modern methods of construction, CAD
  • Logistics – HGV and bus drivers‍
  • Technical – Welding

How the fund works and how to apply

The fund will support employers to deliver bespoke training initiatives that meet short to mid-term skills shortages and are expected to deliver progressions into work, a new role, new responsibilities or new contracts.

  • Employers can collaborate with relevant training providers or use their own in-house training functions to deliver training. There is also an opportunity to form partnerships with other employers if the skills need is the same. Although training is free for learners, there is a small contribution required depending on the size of the employer.
  • Training providers can apply for the fund if they have existing employers to offer the training or collaborate with relevant employers.

The fund is seeking applications from organisations who can collaborate to co-design and co-deliver innovative approaches to address the skill shortages across our key sectors. These can be new or existing collaborations and can consist of any combination of employers, training providers, colleges, universities, sector representatives and/or other community or charity organisations – there is no set formula.  

You have until 27th February to get your application in. You can submit this electronically to both skills@westofengland-ca.gov.uk and graham.smith@westofengland-ca.gov.uk including the words “Skills Bootcamps” in the subject line. Find all the forms and information you’ll need on this Skills Bootcamp page.

WECA is also hosting an event for potential applicants to meet and for wider stakeholders who may wish to form consortia partnerships and wider partnerships with others.