What is a Skills Bootcamp?
Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion. Find out more about Skills Bootcamps at this link: Skills Bootcamps - Skills for Life (opens in a new tab). Skills Bootcamps were first launched in Autumn 2020. Delivered across 6 areas of England, they focused on digital skills including cyber security, coding, software development and engineering, data analysis and digital marketing. There were also some technical Skills Bootcamps in rail engineering, engineering construction, photonics, broadband installation, specialist welding and advanced brickwork. Data about this delivery (between September 2020 and March 2021) can be found at this link Skills Bootcamps outcomes, Financial Year 2020-21 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk).
The model was expanded in the 2021-22 financial year (FY), to make Skills Bootcamps available across England in a wider range of skill areas including digital, technical (including engineering and manufacturing), construction, and skills that support the green economy. The model was further expanded in November 2021 to provide Skills Bootcamps in HGV driving, to help address the national skills shortage in this sector. Data about this delivery (between April 2021 and March 2022) can be found at this link Skills Bootcamps starts, Financial year 2021-22 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)
Alongside these data, DfE has commissioned an independent evaluation of Skills Bootcamps undertaken in FY2021-22 and FY2022-23. The first research report (opens in a new tab) from this evaluation has been published. Further reports will be available to provide insight into the effectiveness and impact of Skills Bootcamps.