Enterprising Cumbria

Training and skills support

Enterprising Cumbria delivers the Department for Education’s pioneering Skills Bootcamps provision.

Skills Bootcamps are funded training opportunities for businesses looking to upskill their staff, for employed people to increase their skills to upskill in the workplace or for job seekers to learn new skills and fast track to an interview with a local employer. 

 

Skills Bootcamps are part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, helping everyone gain skills for life, offering bespoke training solutions to bridge existing skills gaps within high demand sectors. Funded through the Department for Education and forming part of the National Skills Fund, Skills Bootcamps place the employer at the Centre of training and development.

Enterprising Cumbria have been awarded £1.7 million from the Department for Education to deliver Skills Bootcamps to over 400 learners in Cumbria between April 2024 and March 2025 as part of the local grant area delivery. 

What are Skills Bootcamps? 

  • Flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills.
  • Courses are typically at least 60 guided learning hours delivered at level 3-5 training.
  • Training available for:
    • Self employed.
      • Unemployed (includes training and fast-track to an interview with a local employer).
      • Employer supported employees in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
      • Employed learners looking for a new opportunity or sector change.
  • Opportunity for local businesses to fill vacancies, support interviews and recruitment new trainees looking to thrive.
  • Skills Bootcamps are always fully funded to the learner where they are unemployed, looking to re-skill or are self-employed. 
  • There is no cost to employers in recruiting individuals who have completed a Skills Bootcamp. Employer participation is at the heart of the Skills training. 
  • Employers contribute to the cost of training if they want to use Skills Bootcamps to train their existing employees - large employers (over 250+ employees) contribute 30% of the cost, and small or medium employers (SMEs up to 250 employees) contribute 10%. 
  • Existing employees will need time to study and attend classes depending on their working hours and status and the flexibility of the course, so employers will need to support this and commit to the training. 

 

Costs

Our Training Providers on the 2024/25 programme are: 

How to get involved? 

  • Contact above training providers direct about current available courses
  • Search for all online and classroom courses near you at the National Careers Service here
  • Businesses that want to get involved to upskill existing staff or interview potential Skills Bootcamps candidates for existing positions, please contact sarah.jones@enterprisingcumbria.org.uk 

Skills Bootcamps sit within a family of Skills for Life training. Whether you’re growing your business, changing your career or just starting out, it all starts with skills. You can find out more about training options and career ideas via the Skills for Careers website  Skills for Life: it all starts with skills | Skills for Careers (education.gov.uk) 

 

This programme is delivered by Enterprising Cumbria across both local authority areas within Cumbria (Westmorland & Furness and Cumberland).