Methodology

Skills Bootcamps starts

Published

Data collection and methodology

This publication provides a summary of learner starts by financial year for participants who started a funded Skills Bootcamp. Data were collected by the Department from each of the Skills Bootcamps providers. Providers are required to report on learner starts, completions and outcomes after completing a Skills Bootcamp.

The total estimated number of starts has been separated into starts for Skills Bootcamps in HGV Driving and starts for all other courses. This breakdown is provided to enable direct comparison with future statistical releases for learner completions and outcomes for each financial year. Due to delays in HGV testing, completions and outcomes for participants undertaking Skills Bootcamps in HGV Driving will be published later than data for other courses.

One person can enrol on more than one Skills Bootcamp. A start is an instance of training, not the number of individuals trained.

Financial year 21-22

Starts were defined by identifying records for each Skills Bootcamp for which a valid start date between 01/04/2021 and 31/03/2022 was recorded, along with a date when the provider received their first payment milestone.

The methodology used to determine starts means that the reported figure is conservative. A valid start required the presence of data for a valid start date and the first payment date. It is possible providers did not record this data for some starts which may mean the estimate is lower than the true figure.

Financial year 22-23

Starts for Skills Bootcamps delivered via contracts were derived from the Individualised Learner Record. Starts for all other funding streams were defined by identifying records in two ways: 

  • Records with a participant start date between 01/04/2022 and 31/03/2023 and a first payment made to the training provider. 
  • Records with no participant start date listed but with a first payment made to the training provider.

Data quality

Data were collected from provider's own records and compiled by DfE from individual provider submissions. Inconsistences and errors in the way starts data was reported between providers were identified. Data was therefore subject to a number of quality checks, including: 

  • Data was cleaned to ensure consistent formatting for key variables, including National Insurance Number, postcode, name, and all start and payment dates. 
  • Duplicate records were removed. 

Help and support

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If you have a specific enquiry about Skills Bootcamps starts statistics and data:

Skills Policy Analysis

Email: Alice.phillips@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Alice Phillips

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