City & Guilds Training, the training arm of City & Guilds, has secured further funding from the Department for Education to deliver a new wave of Skills Bootcamps over the next two years across England.

This is the fourth wave of Skills Bootcamps to be delivered since 2020, with City & Guilds leading the way from the start. This next wave will offer further access to training in industries currently being held back by skills shortages including rail, electrical, construction and engineering.

City & Guilds will train around 7,000 learners in essential areas, such as: construction, green skills, health and safety and rail engineering, among others.

The circa £26m investment in City & Guilds Training has been made as part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs to help fill skills gaps and improve job outcomes for learners.

Skills Bootcamps offer free and flexible courses lasting up to 16 weeks. Aimed at adults aged 19 years-old, or above, they provide learners with an opportunity to build up sector specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. They offer a vital stepping stone into work, and an entry point for those considering moving onto longer term skills training programmes such as an apprenticeship. When delivered at scale, they represent an important boost to the UK economy.

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, CEO at City & Guilds, said: “This is great news for learners and for industry.

“City & Guilds Skills Bootcamps are already changing lives for the better, by providing access to training and skills needed by industry. They provide learners with access to vital training, giving them that all important kickstart in a skilled sector that they can build a career in. In our rail bootcamps alone, we are seeing around 90% of learners progressing into skilled jobs in the sector and remaining in employment more than six months later.”

City & Guilds learner, Calum, currently employed as Maintenance Lead at Clean Energy Nationwide, commenting on his experience of Skills Bootcamps, says: “We insulate houses, put solar panels on the roof and fit heat pumps. My job, once I’m fully qualified, will include ventilation, plumbing and electrical maintenance. I’m hoping to become an electrician, so that I can sign off all my own work for the company.

“My course tutor’s been amazing – really helpful. Likewise, my fellow course mates, if I get stuck on something and they know the answer, they’re willing to step in and help me understand it, from their perspective. The training centre also seems like a great place to learn.”

For more information, please contact: Jemima Broadbridge, External Communications Manager, Mob: 07376198649, email: Jemima.broadbridge@cityandguilds.com

About Skills Bootcamps

As part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, the Government has invested into a series of ‘Skills for Life’ Bootcamps, to provide a range of flexible training options targeting specific industries and aimed at equipping individuals with necessary skills for working in sectors with high job demand, providing learners with job-ready skills.

Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks. They are available for adults aged 19 or over who are either in work or recently unemployed and live in England. They give people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.

Eligibility to enrol on a Skills Bootcamp depends on factors including age, employment status, and residency status.

For more information visit: Find a Skills Bootcamp – Guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

About City & Guilds

As the royal charter organisation for skills, we are proud that for almost 150 years we have collaborated with people, organisations, and economies to help them identify and develop the skills they need to thrive. We understand the life changing link between skills development, social mobility, prosperity, and success so everything we do focuses on developing and delivering high-quality training, qualifications and credentials that lead to jobs and meet the changing needs of industry.

We partner with our customers to deliver work-based learning programmes that build competency to support better prospects for people, organisations, and wider society. We create flexible learning pathways that support lifelong employability, because we believe that people deserve the opportunity to (re)train and (re)learn repeatedly– gaining new skills at every stage of life, regardless of where they start.

The City & Guilds community of brands includes Gen2, ILM, Intertrain, Kineo and The Oxford Group.

About City & Guilds Training, the training arm of City & Guilds

Since the Skills Bootcamps were launched in 2020, City & Guilds Training has delivered more than 12 Skills Bootcamps in the rail sector, enrolling 285 employer supported learners and introducing 157 new entrants into the industry, all of whom are now utilising the new skills they have gained within their roles.