Description
Skills Bootcamps are Government-funded initiatives designed to help businesses find and hire the workers they need; as well as supporting adults to flourish and fulfil their potential through high quality training.
Skills Bootcamps aim to secure benefits for adults by giving them access to in-demand skills training and a guaranteed interview for a more sustainable, higher-skilled job and higher wages over time. The benefits for employers include helping them fill specific skills shortage vacancies, enabling them to become more productive, more quickly.
Skills Bootcamps are intensive, generally Level 3-5 or equivalent flexible training courses up to 16 weeks, with a guaranteed job interview (in the case of a new job), which equip adults with technical skills that enable them to access in-demand jobs, apprenticeships, new opportunities and an increased level of income over time (including for the self-employed).
In Wave 4, the following lot areas are being focused on:
• Digital
• Technical
• Construction
• Green
• HGV
• Pathways to Accelerated Apprenticeships
We also have the opportunity to deliver up to 30% of our total grant value in any sector/skill area that aligns with the IFATE occupational maps where there is evidence of demand.
Skills Bootcamps should be open to all adults aged 19 or over, who are full-time or part-time employed, self-employed, unemployed (i.e. not in work), as well as adults returning to work after a break. A provider has discretion to determine whether to use a Skills Bootcamp to support adults who have been unemployed for longer than 12 months if they judge that will support them effectively. Skills Bootcamps should also be open to serving prisoners due to be released within 6 months of completion of a Skills Bootcamp and those on Temporary Release.
All Skills Bootcamps must be open to all eligible adults within the communities they serve.
No prior attainment is required unless specifically prescribed by an employer and/or specifically related to the job and sector within which the vacancies offered are situated. An adult may only undertake one Skills Bootcamp per funding year.
An adult must have the right to work in the UK.
Skills Bootcamps must be delivered at Level 3-5 or equivalent. Level 2 or equivalent Skills Bootcamps can only be delivered in Construction, Green Skills and Logistics (HGV driving) as a minimum. All training must either be accredited, aligned to occupational standards managed by the Institute for Apprenticeship & Technical Education or utilise a recognised standard for representing attainment (e.g. RARPA, SFIA).
We expect the courses on offer to be a minimum of 60 Guided Learning Hours (GLH) and a maximum of 16 weeks. Guided Learning Hours are the time a learner spends being taught or instructed by - or otherwise participating in education or training under the immediate guidance or supervision of a lecturer, supervisor, tutor or other appropriate provider of education or training whether this is in person or online.
Skills Bootcamps should be delivered flexibly in order to accommodate the concurrent commitments of participants. This includes the work-related responsibilities of those employed in either a full-time or part-time role as well as around any other commitments that may apply to any participant (employed or unemployed). Courses should also be accessible to learners and adjustments must be made, as appropriate, for those learners with Protected Characteristics (as defined by the Equalities Act (2010)).
We expect all learners to progress to a guaranteed job interview, or into an enhanced role.
Provision may be delivered remotely or face to face or a blend with suppliers providing a clear rationale for the method of delivery. Suppliers must either be accredited, aligned to occupational standards managed by the Institute for Apprenticeship & Technical Education or utilise a recognised standard for representing attainment .
We are inviting suppliers to submit proposals to join a Framework Agreement to deliver Skills Bootcamps that meet local employer needs.
We have identified the following subject areas for delivery with the first cohorts expected to commence before the end of August 2023:
• Digital Core
• Digital Bespoke
• Technical Core
• Technical Bespoke
• Construction
• Green Skills
• Bespoke Green Skills
• HGV
• Pathways to Accelerated Apprenticeships
161 learners need to commence training by the end of September 2023. We will expect successful providers to show how they can partially/fully support this requirement. The Department for Education has suggested that there may be an extension of contract in time and value if delivery of this contract is successful.
We have been given approval to use up to 30% of the value of our grant in FY 2023-24 in any sector/skill area that aligns with the IFATE occupational maps where there is evidence of demand.
Leadership & Management comes into this 30% criteria and in addition, we welcome bids from providers who can support the legacy work of the ESF Developing Skills in Health & Social Care programme managed by Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils.
We anticipate that this will make up the remaining 72 learner numbers.
We would like providers to outlay their profile of delivery. Our expectation is that at least 25% of the starts to have commenced by the end of June 2023 and at least 50% by the end of September 2023. The only exception would be Health & Social Care delivery as we do not want it impacting on the current ESF Developing Skills in Health & Social Care programme.
Bootcamps should be a minimum of 60 Guided Learning Hours (GLH) and a maximum of 16 weeks. Bootcamps can be accredited or non-accredited and it is expected that learners will be provided with a Certificate of Completion as a minimum.
We expect successful suppliers to clearly indicate how they intend to recruit learners across Norfolk and Suffolk to ensure equal and fair opportunities for all residents.
A training needs assessment is required for all learners to ensure they meet the learner eligibility requirements and are 'employment ready'. Any pre-requisites on learners should be fully evidenced by providers. Any learner who does not meet the required entry criteria should be actively directed to other positive opportunities to support their education and/or employment journey. The LEP Skills Bootcamp team can work with providers to identify the current suite of funded skills and employment programmes.
Providers should ensure that risk management procedures are in place.
In terms of geography, the focus of this Framework Agreement is to support businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk. However, support for other areas may be considered, particularly if learners live outside of the area, but work within Norfolk or Suffolk or vice versa.
We work closely with South East Local Enterprise Partnership and look favourably on approaches for training for residents and/or employers in north Essex as long as it doesn't impact programmes already provided. However, our priority will be to learners and employers in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Any proposals to provide support to wider areas would need to be discussed with New Anglia LEP.
Successful suppliers will be expected to work constructively and collaboratively with local and regional partners and other providers to support learner engagement, progression into work and referral arrangements. The intention through collaboration is to provide strong, place-based relationships delivering more skills and support for local residents.
All suppliers must demonstrate how they propose to work with employers, business intermediaries, sector groups and relevant catapults to validate the content of the Bootcamps and secure positive outcomes for learners upon successful completion of their programmes. We anticipate this support to come in the form of guaranteed interviews, shared content creation and ringfenced roles.
A skills broker supports providers and engages with businesses. It is the joint responsibility of the skills broker and provider(s) to ensure successful delivery of cohorts from an employer engagement perspective. Actual delivery of the Skills Bootcamps remains solely the responsibility of the provider(s).
In addition to the development of employment and progression opportunities from employers, we anticipate Norfolk and Suffolk businesses supporting the programme through a range of activities, which in partnership with providers may include:
•Providing space for training: Providing 'real world' environments for the training and application of learnt tasks
•Providing technical equipment for learning: In the use of current equipment, technical knowledge and contemporary practices
•Helping delivery of the training: e.g., providing some learning materials or teaching part of the course content
•Giving their workers time to learn: Acknowledging the business case of benefits for the organisation in upskilling staff and increasing productivity
We expect successful suppliers to proactively utilise evidence of local need to drive delivery of Skills Bootcamps and bring forward cohorts.
It is expected that the first cohorts will commence before the end of July 2023. All training courses will be completed by 31 March 2024, with a requirement on providers to continue data monitoring for 6 months afterwards.
All costs associated with development and delivery of training courses should be included in the participant learning rate, this includes developing training materials, resources, marketing, recruitment, certification, wraparound support for learners, engaging with the DfE Quality Monitoring team and Ofsted plus collating information for the claim. (This is not an exhaustive list). Any VAT must be included in this cost.
Training costs should be a maximum of £3500 inc. VAT per learner. In exceptional circumstances, if a course can't be delivered within those costings, a case can be made with robust evidence for us to consider. There is no guarantee that this will be approved.
We will provide communications and marketing materials for your publicity.
All suppliers must clearly state in their proposals when they are looking to start delivering the initial cohorts and/or are applying to deliver courses covering wider subject areas, working with the LEP to deliver these.
All suppliers should as a minimum include in their proposals an outline of the courses that they propose delivering, timings of delivery (time of day, number of weeks, total hours, etc), average cohort sizes, delivery method (face to face, online, blended model), location of training and capacity.
Where there is an appetite to explore accelerated apprenticeships with the LEP, suppliers should also include this in their proposals.
Where suppliers are already delivering Skills Bootcamps in other areas or propose to, they must outline in their proposal how they will ensure there is capacity to successfully deliver Skills Bootcamps in our area, as well as demonstrating best practice and incorporating lessons learnt from previous/current delivery.
Suppliers are expected to capture and retain evidence for contractual and performance purposes, in line with the Key Performance Indicators outlined above.
Suppliers will be required to adhere to monthly reporting requirements, as set out by the Department for Education and New Anglia LEP and provide evidence to support the processing of claims.
In delivering Skills Bootcamp programmes, suppliers must be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the Skills Bootcamp policy specification including:
•Specification and eligibility Requirements
•Employer & stakeholder engagement
•Reporting Mechanisms
•Data collection requirements
Suppliers must also consider Social Value in their proposals as set out below.
The Public Services (Social Value) Act places a requirement to consider how economic, environmental and social well-being might be improved by what we're buying.
There are three categories - Social, Environmental and Economic out of which fall several themes.
The Skills Bootcamp policy delivers specifically on four of the Social Value Themes in varying extents:
•Social Value Theme 1: COVID-19 Recovery - Policy Outcome: Help local communities to manage and recover from the impact of COVID-19
•Social Value Theme 2: Tackling economic inequality - Policy Outcome: Create new businesses, new jobs and new skills
•Social Value Theme 3: Fighting climate change - Policy Outcome: Effective stewardship of the environment
•Social Value Theme 4: Equal opportunity - Policy Outcome: Tackle workforce inequality