Thanks to funding from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, thousands of residents are to benefit from the chance to upskill and retrain for future roles.
Investment worth £11.2 million is being committed to ensuring that 2,500 people can retrain in new areas such as construction, digital, engineering, manufacturing, HGV drivers, and rail. This will be done through free Skills Bootcamps, with numbers expected to increase to 6,500 by March 2025.
By increasing levels in key sectors, eligible adults will be given the opportunity to transition into new roles that are more sustainable, as well as giving them the skills that are required by employers. Other examples of industries that people can be retrained in include:
- Creative and design
- Sales
- Marketing Procurement
- Health and social care/life sciences
Speaking about the bootcamps, Mayor of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Steve Rotheram said:
“Our area is home to one of the country’s fastest-growing city region economies with world-leading industry clusters on our doorstep. I know from speaking to business owners that there is a huge demand for skilled, local people to join their workforce – and it is our role to help connect them to those opportunities.
“Staff at the Combined Authority have a proven track record of delivering incredible results with the funding we secure. This additional investment will help thousands more local people to access high-quality training and develop the skills they need to build a career for themselves. Equally, it means that we can train and retain the very best talent in our area and target the skills gaps that are preventing some of our industries from firing on all cylinders.
“I want to place our residents in the best possible position to fulfil their potential – it’s proper levelling up in action.”
The Skills Bootcamps were trialled by the combined authority in 2020 and have developed since, with more than 4,000 people having completed the free courses by March this year. They give support to all kinds of residents, including those who are unemployed and self-employed, as well as providing retraining assistance to employers who develop the business or expand roles.
Portfolio Holder for Employment, Education and Skills at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Cllr Marion Atkinson, also commented:
“It is a testament to our success in delivering previous rounds of skills bootcamps that we have been able to secure this additional funding that will enable thousands of people across our city region to increase their skills and improve their career opportunities.
“It’s fantastic news that we are able to support these courses and a great opportunity for residents and employers across the Liverpool City Region to take advantage of the high-quality training available.”
Image credit: iStock
