Thousands to benefit from Mayor's £11m Skills Bootcamps

THOUSANDS of residents in the Liverpool City Region will be given the chance to retrain and upskill for the future after Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Combined Authority secured £11.2m to provide free Skills Bootcamps.

The new investment will be used to train 2,500 people over the next year in areas such as construction, digital, engineering, manufacturing, HGV drivers, and rail.

The funding is expected to take the total number of people completing a bootcamp to 6,500 by March 2025.

Raising skill levels in key sectors; which also include creative and design, sales, marketing and procurement, and health and Social Care/life sciences; will enable eligible adults to move into more sustainable roles and provide City Region residents with the skills that employers really need.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:- "Our area is home to 1 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."

Skills Bootcamps are free flexible courses lasting up to 16-weeks and primarily provide training at Level 3 standard or above; equivalent to A-levels.

They support employers who wish to retrain existing staff in order to develop new business or upskill and expand roles.

Skills Bootcamps also support individuals who are self employed, and any employed or unemployed adult looking to gain new skills to enable them to progress. Everyone who completes the training will be offered an interview with a local employer or progress in their current workplace.

The Combined Authority successfully piloted Skills Bootcamps in 2020. By March this year more than 4,000 people; a combination of unemployed, self-employed, and employed people; will have completed 1 of the free courses; with half being trained in digital skills.

A further 2,500 are expected to be completed by March 2025, taking the total to around 6,500.

Councillor Marion Atkinson, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Employment, Education and Skills and Leader of Sefton Council said:- "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."

Details of courses available can be found at:- LCRBeMore.Co.UK.

BAE Systems recruiting for 2,700 apprenticeships and graduate roles

BAE Systems is looking for future leaders who can play a role in shaping some of the world's most important services that help enable our armed forces and protect national security.

BAE Systems invested approximately £180m in education, skills and early careers activities, in the UK, in 2023, and opened 2 multi-million pound state of the art training academies for employees, with another under construction.

Their apprenticeship programmes aren't just for School or college leavers; almost 20% of BAE apprentices are over 25, providing opportunities for people to retrain in a sector which can offer long term career opportunities.

Cliona, BAE Systems Submarine, said:- "I applied to the Degree apprenticeship scheme while in my final year of A-levels; my interest in nuclear technology started when I was completing my Extended Project Qualification. The best part of the job is the varied work, no 2 days are the same and the workload is constantly adapting to the current build needs; I also really enjoy seeing the submarines progress through different build stages."

Izzie Banks, Craft Apprentice, BAE Systems Air, added:- "I knew I wanted to do an apprenticeship after watching my sister make a successful career out of her own apprentice journey. Doing a craft apprenticeship with BAE Systems was the right choice for me as I wanted to do more hands on work that was practical and tangible. Now I can earn while I learn and work in a supportive environment while also looking towards future opportunities such as working with robotics."

Also Alina Eden, Information Management Systems and Technology (IMS&T) Degree Apprentice, BAE Systems Maritime and Land, explained about her experiance, saying:- "I was previously studying fashion marketing at University but left to improve my career prospects. I love the opportunity to take on new challenges and we're always encouraged to take them. 1 of the best parts about the job is the people, all of our employees come from different walks of life and can help teach you valuable new lessons. I didn't have any 'typical' qualifications but I had the enthusiasm and courage to make the jump and haven't looked back!"

Recruiting at apprenticeship, undergraduate, and graduate levels, roles are available across the North West spanning:- Air, Digital Intelligence, Head Office, Land UK, Share Services, and Submarines, based in the following locations:-

• Warton and Samlesbury.
  

• Manchester.
  

• Barrow.
  

• Radway Green.
  

• Preston.
  

• Barrow.

Richard Hamer, Director for Education and Skills, BAE Systems, said:- "National Apprenticeship Week is vital for companies such as ours with more than 1 thousand vacancies to raise awareness for the exciting opportunities on offer up and down the country. Whether you're just starting out in your career journey or are thinking about a career switch, apprenticeships are a fantastic way to learn new skills and contribute in a meaningful way. It's also a brilliant opportunity to recognise those apprentices up and down the country that are already on their career journey with us, developing their skillsets and helping to develop the technology that helps defend our national security, they are the backbone of our future workforce and as a company we're proud of the work they do."

The closing date for apprentice applications is:- 28 February 2024, with graduate intakes throughout the year, including:- April, June and September.

If you are unaware BAE Systems, in the last 5 years, has more than doubled the number of apprenticeships and expects to welcome more than 2,700 trainees to apprentice and graduate programmes in 2024; its largest ever intake. As part of this intake, there will be more than 1,400 apprentices and 1,300 graduates across the UK.

BAE Systems apprenticeships are a key tool for social mobility; over a quarter of its last apprenticeship intake came from low socio economic backgrounds and it invests heavily in Regions across the UK. Additionally, it supports the Department for Education by developing employer guides for T-Levels as part of efforts to provide more education opportunities for young people.

BAE has almost 5,500 apprentices and graduates currently in training; more than 10% of our 39,000 strong UK workforce. 30% of BAE new apprentices this year are female, compared with around 10% of the engineering apprentice intake in England overall.