Skills Bootcamps

 News 

New Skills Bootcamps, running nationwide, have launched – all part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs

The Institute of Coding (IoC) is a collaborative national consortium of industry, educators, and outreach providers that are working together to respond to the UK’s digital skills gap through the delivery of employer-led digital skills education. The IoC consortium, led by the University of Bath, was announced by the Government earlier this month as a provider for the Department for Education’s (DfE) Skills Bootcamps.

Skills Bootcamps are flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up tech skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer. They are being developed by the Government as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs, in partnership with employers, providers, and local authorities. The Skills Bootcamps will provide learners with best-in-class digital skills education and deliver resilient pathways to work, with learners receiving the opportunity to interview with an employer upon the successful completion of their Skills Bootcamp.

In addition to the IoC’s existing provision, which includes more than 150 university level digital skills courses, the IoC will design and deliver the new Skills Bootcamps in online and face-to-face formats at locations throughout the country. Topics include core digital skills, data science, software development, AI, cybersecurity and others. These Skills Bootcamps will give people the advanced digital skills needed for a role in tech and create a skilled talent pool for employers.

Using its collaborative approach, the IoC is bringing together partners with delivery and engagement expertise to ensure that each step of the Skills Bootcamp journey is high-quality and tailored to meet the needs of employers and those looking to upskill to boost their employability. The IoC-led Skills Bootcamps will be coordinated and delivered by respected UK universities, including Aston University, Bath Spa University, the University of Bath, Birmingham City University, Durham University, Edge Hill University, the University of Gloucestershire, the University of Huddersfield, Manchester Metropolitan University, Northumbria University, the Open University, Teesside University, University of the West of England Bristol (UWE Bristol) and more.

Professor Andy Salmon of Bath Spa University said:

“Demand for employees with core digital skills has been significantly accelerated by the pandemic. Our skills bootcamp on web development is an innovative new initiative enabling learners to reskill in sought after digital skills and fast track to an interview with a local employer thereby bridging this demand gap. Bath Spa University looks forward to welcoming new learners and supporting them in their pathways to employment within the sphere of web development.”

If you are a prospective learner or employer and are interested in learning more, please visit the Skills Bootcamps website.