Thousands of adults in the North East of England are being supported to upskill thanks to millions of pounds worth of mayoral funding.
This comes with the launch of the Skills Bootcamp Programme, which comes as part of a drive to make the North East a region of opportunity and empowerment. Thanks to £17 million worth of investment, the programme will cover a wide range of areas, including:
- Hospitality
- Digital marketing
- Cyber security
- Offshore wind
- Rail engineering
Due to the way that the bootcamps have been designed – flexible and able to be completed in 16 weeks or less – people will be able to retrain quickly and at times that suit them.
Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North East, commented:
“As Mayor I have said I will deliver a new deal for North East workers to make our region the home of real opportunity. Skills and training are at the heart of my ambition, so we can connect people to the jobs we are creating through new investment in industry.
“Skills Bootcamps can really change people’s lives by empowering them to retrain and find a new career in a way which works alongside already busy lives. This is all part of building a proud future for the North East which works for everyone.”
Support for the programme has also come from the Department for Education, with it not costing anything for individuals that wish to change career, or for the self-employed who want to develop their business. A contribution to the cost of the course is required for businesses that want to upskill their existing staff, however this is 10% for small-medium sized enterprises and 20% for larger businesses.
Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Skills, Cllr Tracy Dixon, added:
“People in the North East will be able to retrain, improve their skills and even step into their dream careers thanks to more funding and wider opportunities we are providing.
“This funding will support even more adults across the region to take advantage of these free courses and get on the path to sustainable careers in key growth sectors.”
Image credit: iStock