Rail provider considers Ofsted challenge after damning ‘inadequate’ report

A training provider faces being kicked out of the apprenticeships market after Ofsted found off-the-job training rules were being broken.

ARC Academy UK Limited, which trains almost 100 apprentices at levels 2 and 3 in the rail engineering and construction sectors, received an ‘inadequate’ rating from the inspectorate this week.

The watchdog’s report said the provider does not have sufficient assessors to cater for the number of apprentices it has enrolled, finding that learners “rarely” complete their apprenticeships on time or are significantly past their planned end dates.

Ofsted also found that in some cases, apprentices are forced to complete their 20 per cent off-the-job training studies in their own time, which is contrary to the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s funding rules.

Any training provider rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted is usually removed from the government’s register of apprenticeship training providers.

Paul Napier, operations director at ARC Group UK, complained that the watchdog did not sufficiently consider the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic when judging his provider. He is awaiting a response from the ESFA about ARC’s future in delivering apprenticeships before deciding whether to challenge Ofsted formally.

“Of the 100 apprentices on programme, all were recruited since Covid with employers we have worked with for several years and recognise the recent inconsistencies with tutors due to recruitment difficulties as a consequence of staff leaving during the pandemic,” Napier said.

“These difficulties in recruitment have been seen in a number of sectors, yet we know that our employers support us as we continue working with them to complete their current apprentices.”

Ofsted’s report said ARC’s leaders have been too slow to implement their plans to increase the number of assessors. As a result, “most apprentices do not receive regular visits or feedback on their progress from assessors, and too many planned visits are cancelled”.

Additionally, the inspectorate claimed there were no arrangements in place to help apprentices to catch up if they are lagging behind.

Trainers at ARC were praised for having a “wealth of knowledge and experience of national construction and engineering sectors”.

However, they “do not have sufficient expertise in teaching, despite undertaking recent professional development and gaining teaching qualifications,” Ofsted said.

“Learning materials they use show outdated work practices in areas such as track ballast compaction and give incorrect guidance on the wearing of protective equipment when working on the rail network.”

Governance was also criticised. The report said: “Senior leaders currently take responsibility for governance. They have not yet implemented their plans to introduce suitable external scrutiny of their actions.

“As a result, they lack appropriate support and challenge to help them identify underperformance or hold them to account for the improvements ARC requires.”

Napier said: “Our recent recruitment issues have led to us making slow progress on our Covid recovery plan, but as a niche provider we are awaiting a response from the ESFA while we consider challenging the Ofsted grade.”

Stoke-on-Trent College announces former skills civil servant as new principal

A former senior skills civil servant has been announced as the new principal of Stoke-on-Trent College.

Lisa Capper took the reins at the college this week after joining from Nacro – a social justice and education charity, where she worked as principal and director of education.

Capper, who previously held roles in the Department for Education and Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, will replace outgoing Stoke-on-Trent College boss Denise Brown. Brown has led the college since July 2017 and is now moving over to South Essex College as its principal.

Stoke-on-Trent College has struggled financially in recent years, and the DfE bailed it out to the tune of £20 million in 2018. Ofsted has also rated the college as ‘requires improvement’ in each of its last three full inspections since 2016.

But the college has been on the mend and recorded an underlying operating surplus of £165,000 in its latest published accounts, for 2020.

The college’s self-assessed financial health grade for 2019/20 was ‘outstanding’, and the FE Commissioner’s team praised the college that year for being on a “strong trajectory of improvement”.

The college had spent six years in government intervention but the Education and Skills Funding Agency lifted its financial notice to improve in May 2021.

Capper said she was looking forward to leading Stoke-on-Trent College through the “next phase of its journey to help even more young people, adults and employers alike to achieve their skills ambitions and to develop their careers”.

She added: “I hope that I can use my skills and experience from elsewhere, build on the current achievements, and support the team in achieving its ambition, and that of the city.”

Prior to joining Nacro, Capper was the vice principal for the schools of North Warwickshire and Hinckley College and executive director of the Midlands Academies Trust.

Previously, she served in the senior civil service as a specialist in further education at the Department for Education, working on the adult literacy and numeracy skills for life initiative.

She also developed the commission on adult vocational education, national skills academies and led the successful bid for WorldSkills London 2011 for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, for which she won the permanent secretary’s award. 

Capper is also an independent governor of De Montfort University and until recently the chair of the National Deaf Children’s Society. In January 2021 she was awarded the MBE for services to young people.

Jeremy Cartwright, chair of Stoke-on-Trent College, said: “I am delighted that Lisa is joining. There are both challenges and opportunities in further education at the moment, and in the city region, and we know Lisa will bring her significant and unique knowledge, skills and experience to help us make the most of these to benefit Stoke-on-Trent.”

The real revolution in the white paper was taking teaching seriously

Without high-quality teaching, solving the skills challenge is just a pipedream, writes David Russell

Last week saw a range of sector leaders give their expert analysis in FE Week on the Skills for Jobs white paper, exactly one year on. The tone ranged from raging enthusiasm, through cautious optimism to disappointment at lack of progress.   

But one thing they all had in common was what they missed – that the truly revolutionary part of the white paper was not the latest proposals for funding rules or employer forums. Rather, it was revolutionary simply because of the fact that it took the profession of teaching in FE seriously, and backed that up with concrete policy ideas. 

Bringing the best into FE

Without high-quality teachers and teaching, we cannot expect high-quality learning outcomes.  

The Department for Education recruitment campaign launched last week is a welcome recognition of the vital role that experienced industry professionals make in training and inspiring learners.  

However, its success will rely on a comprehensive pathway of support to ensure we hold on to those talented people we attract into the sector. The campaign also has to be a clarion call for the importance of high-quality teaching.  

We must ensure we hold on to those talented people we attract in

The white paper described ‘Taking Teaching Further’, an initiative to attract high-quality teaching professionals from industry into FE and training, as a “flagship programme”.

And rightly so. This national initiative, designed and delivered by the ETF, has grown rapidly in scale, increasing the number of places from 50 to 550 between 2018 and 2020.

At the same time, the ETF’s ‘Talent to Teach’ programme, also highlighted within the white paper, aims to offer a taster of further education teaching to university students and graduates.  

We have seen how Teach First has brought some of the brightest and best into schools, and that is very much the ambition of Talent to Teach for colleges. 

These programmes, alongside a whole package of development opportunities offered through the ETF (from high-quality training and mentoring to continuous professional development) are helping to boost early career retention. 

Meeting the skills challenge

So one year on from the white paper, why does all this activity matter?  

There are five significant societal and economic developments that highlight the absolutely critical nature of FE and training in the years to come. 

Firstly, the global pandemic has led to increased public expenditure (and debt), an increase in the cost of living and significant job displacement. 

Secondly, Brexit has shifted our economic, regulatory and trade model. This has also led to a reduction in migrant labour in certain sectors of the economy. 

Thirdly, rapid technological change could lead to a host of jobs becoming automated in whole or in part, alongside advances in areas such as artificial intelligence and robotics. 

Fourthly, the government’s 2050 net zero target requires seismic shifts in a whole range of sectors, from energy production to transport and manufacturing. It will also inevitably lead to workers in certain sectors, such as oil and gas, needing to reskill. 

And finally, the productivity puzzle. There are several reasons why our country is behind other nations. But it is no coincidence that we score very poorly on the proportion of the workforce with higher-level technical qualifications and on basic skills for adults. 

There is a common thread among all of these – the country urgently needs more highly skilled people working in the key sectors of the future. This will enable us to be innovative, competitive and more socially mobile. 

But – without high-quality teaching in further education – such ambitions will be no more than a pipe dream.

What a waste: sector exasperated as £65m for traineeships is handed back to Treasury

More than half of the £111 million earmarked for tripling the number of traineeships last year was handed back to the Treasury.

The Department for Education had to surrender £65 million of the pot due to several delays in running a procurement to increase training provider capacity to deliver the pre-employment programme.

Experts have expressed concern at the wasted money during a time of national skills shortages but say they are not surprised, as government officials failed to match the scale or urgency of the challenge.

They also believe other paid employment schemes, such as Kickstart, would have displaced many traineeship opportunities.

The DfE said its spending on traineeships is demand led and it is “right” that any underspend is returned to the Treasury.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Plan for Jobs provided £111 million for up to 36,700 traineeships in 2020/21, including paying employers £1,000 for providing work placements for trainees. His goal was to triple the number of starts on the pre-employment programme after 14,900 were achieved in 2019/20.

But official DfE data shows that only 17,400 starts were achieved in 2020/21 – 47 per cent of the target.

Plans to rapidly grow traineeship numbers were scuppered by various delays to tenders intended to expand the provider-base – an issue that FE Week understands personally “annoyed” Sunak.

Skills minister Alex Burghart revealed the £65 million underspend last Friday in answer to a parliamentary question from Labour’s shadow skills minister Toby Perkins.

“This was because of the time involved in running a procurement to increase training provider capacity and the lag between providers developing their offer and engaging with potential employers and young people to mobilise delivery,” Burghart said.

He added: “As is usual practice, any underspends in overall departmental budgets by the end of the financial year are first returned to Treasury.”

The DfE would not say whether it fought the DfE to keep the funding and repurpose it to other skills training funding schemes.

Stephen Evans, the chief executive of policy and research organisation the Learning and Work Institute, said many young people can benefit from a traineeship “so any wasted money represents a wasted opportunity”.

“It is in part the consequence of an approach characterised by procurement delays and not matching the scale or urgency of the challenge,” he added. “The government must learn lessons from this for its planned future expansion of traineeships and create a more joined-up offer for young people and employers.”

Perkins told FE Week that the £65 million underspend shows the government “is failing to secure the training opportunities young people, adults seeking to retrain and those furthest from the labour market need at a time of national skills shortages.

“Labour warned that there would be limited appetite for unpaid traineeship posts. That’s why we urged the government to invest in supporting more employers, especially small and medium-sized businesses, to take on apprentices with a wage subsidy that could have created 100,000 new opportunities for young people this year,” he said.

A £65 million tender to expand the capacity and number of training providers delivering traineeships to 19- to 24-year-olds was originally planned to get under way in summer 2020 but didn’t conclude until February 2021.

Another procurement for expanding the 16-to-18 traineeship provider base was also not launched until September 2021. Up to £30 million was available but FE Week understands only £13.7 million has been allocated.

Some providers that have delivered traineeships since their launch in 2013, such as Babington, missed out on funding in the 19-to-24 tender.

Babington’s chief executive, David Marsh, said he was “really disappointed” to hear of the significant underspend. “Hopefully this will be better recognised in future procurement exercises so we don’t frustratingly end up with this scenario again,” he added.

Jane Hickie, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “It’s concerning, but not surprising to see an underspend in the traineeships budget for 2020/2021, particularly given that independent providers were only able to deliver 16-to-18 traineeships from late last year.

“The lack of learner incentive means that traineeships are currently limited to those willing and able to take on an unpaid placement. A government-funded subsidy would undoubtedly drive up participation and help the government to meet their targets.”

Ministers hope to achieve 43,000 starts on the traineeships scheme in 2021/22 after investing an additional £126 million.

DfE data published on Thursday showed there were 5,600 traineeship starts recorded between August and October 2021 – a five per cent fall on the 5,900 recorded for the same period in 2020, and a two per cent drop on the 5,700 reported in 2019.

The DfE said it could not comment on whether it anticipates a further underspend to the traineeships budget in 2021/22.

‘Free courses for jobs’ initiative fails to boost enrolments

The government’s ‘free courses for jobs’ offer is failing to attract more learners into level three training so far, new figures have revealed.

Backed by £95 million from the national skills fund, the scheme provides funded first level three courses for adults from a list of Department for Education-approved qualifications. It’s part of the flagship lifetime skills guarantee policy, alongside skills bootcamps.

Participation figures published today provide a first look at how the offer is performing. They show that between its launch in April 2021 and the end of the 2020/21 academic year, 4,780 learners were recorded starting a course through the scheme.

In the first quarter of 2021/22, August to October, 6,990 learners took part.

The government’s statisticians pointed out that had the scheme existed in 2018/19, there would have been 6,880 eligible learners on the courses between August and October.

The statistical release says: “6,990 enrolments is broadly the same volume as reported in final figures that relate to the same period in 2018/19 (6,880 enrolments on free courses for jobs qualifications between August and October 2018 by adults who would have been eligible for the offer, had it existed)”.

A DfE spokesperson said in response: “There were over 11,000 reported enrolments on the free courses for jobs offer in April-October 2021, which is a 30 per cent increase in comparison to the equivalent months in the 2018/19 academic year. 

“This enrolment figure will continue to grow as providers deliver to more learners throughout the year and update their uptake figures. Data for August-October 2021 will not include all enrolments due to reporting lags and therefore do not reflect the final number of enrolments in the year.”

The Association of Colleges’ chief executive, David Hughes, said the economic disruption caused by the pandemic “makes it unwise to try to read too much into comparisons with pre-pandemic numbers.

“We are confident that as life begins to be less uncertain, and as the pandemic becomes endemic, more adults will seek education and training places. What we need is for colleges to be able to have flexibility across the plethora of programmes to recruit people on to the right courses to meet their needs,” he said.

The ‘free courses for jobs’ policy was launched in April last year by then education secretary Gavin Williamson with 387 qualifications that DfE decided would best lead to in-demand jobs. A challenge from the hospitality lobby and other employers then led to extra qualifications being added shortly after the programme’s launch.

In July 2021 the number of available qualifications was increased to 442. Those additional qualifications resulted in 750 extra enrolments.

As of January 27, 2022, there are 446 qualifications on the approved list and 405 registered providers.

The national skills fund received a boost in the chancellor’s October spending review. Treasury documents said that “a 29 per cent real terms uplift” to adult skills funding will include “giving more adults access to courses in in-demand areas”.

Figures released by the DfE today do not break down participation in this scheme by qualification, or by subject.

Extra flexibilities are set to be introduced from this April. People earning below the national living wage or who are unemployed will be able to access the courses regardless of prior qualifications.

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers believes that the eligibility extension “should help boost uptake.”

“There is clearly still limited take-up on the government’s offer of free level 3 courses for eligible adults. However, it’s still a new programme, and it will take time before there is widespread awareness,” said AELP’s director of policy, Simon Ashworth.

As well as general awareness among learners, Ashworth is concerned that there may not be enough capacity in the market to deliver what should be high-demand courses.

“There is a serious danger that ̶ as with the adult education budget ̶ we could end up with underspent funds, despite there being significant need for support, particularly from disadvantaged adults. Without opening up delivery, big opportunities to support adult learners will be missed,” Ashworth added.

DfE switches to individualised learner record for skills bootcamps amid dodgy data concerns

All new skills bootcamp providers will be required to submit information about their courses through the individualised learner record (ILR) – a change that comes after reports of serious gaps in outcomes data.

Previously, bootcamp providers were required to submit data via a form every month. However, a process evaluation report last year found that incomplete data was being returned by providers which hindered their ability to identify how many participants secured a job or received a pay rise.

Now, for those bootcamps procured through the £60 million wave 3 competition, the DfE is asking providers to submit their data via the ILR – a system stakeholders have said will be more reliable.

The DfE told FE Week that “providers already submit data via the ILR for other skills provision, such as apprenticeships and the adult education budget, so the move to using ILR data just brings skills bootcamps in line with the wider system”.

A spokesperson said ILR data submission will allow the DfE to make payments to providers for skills bootcamps using ILR data, rather than providers needing to submit invoices.  

In addition to the ILR data, the DfE said it will continue to collect additional data from providers to inform the evaluation of bootcamps.  

The DfE confirmed to FE Week that only registered learning providers can use the ILR. They also confirmed that providers who are delivering wave 1 and wave 2 skills bootcamps have not been asked to submit data on these skills bootcamps via the ILR and the DfE is not changing this. 

Unreliable bootcamp data

Skills bootcamps are one part of the national skills fund, a £2.5 billion initiative to help adults train and gain skills quickly to improve their job prospects.

The bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks for adults aged 19 or over who are either in work, self-employed, recently unemployed or returning to work after a break.

The government initially tested the scheme in a range of digital skills, such as digital marketing, software development and cyber security, from autumn 2020 with an £8 million pot. It has since expanded, with an additional £42 million, across England to include a wider range of more technical and specialist courses.

In October 2021, a process evaluation report for the first digital skills bootcamps found that the data obtained by the DfE from training providers did not cover all the bootcamps and did not consistently cover all of the geographic areas involved.

Researchers also found incomplete data on job and salary outcomes, even though the DfE specified this information must be captured.  

The report said: “It seemed likely that these data had not been completed consistently (if at all) by providers, since there was no data on starting salaries and three learners were recorded as gaining a job.”  

At the time, Stephen Evans, chief executive of Learning and Work Institute, said bootcamps are a “good idea” but without “proper data we don’t know if they’ve succeeded in their aim of helping people into work”.  

Sector leaders welcomed the DfE’s decision to use the ILR system for wave 3 providers, saying that it will enable more accurate data collection. “Gaps in bootcamp data – and especially learner outcomes – is something our members consistently raise concerns about,” Jane Hickie, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, told FE Week.

“AELP welcomes a move to ILR data collection, especially given that it is in line with reporting from all other mainstream provision, and therefore an approach providers are used to.

“It is an issue we have lobbied the DfE to take action on. It’s great that they have listened and are taking the action needed.”

Steve Hewitt, a management information systems and FE funding expert, also welcomed ESFA standardising data returns for bootcamps.

“It’s slightly surreal that it wasn’t there from the beginning, but this is what happens when new ideas are introduced at the drop of a hat,” he said. 

Hewitt added that the use of ILR will “allow us to see more clearly how they work, in comparison to other, longer standing programmes”.

The Importance of Digital Skills in Adult Education & Employment

It is estimated by the UK Government that 17 million people, around a fifth of the population, lack the essential digital skills required for work and life.

With innovations in technology and the growing demand for online services, it is important to ensure that all individuals are able to participate in life, work and further study by providing them with the opportunity to gain these increasingly important digital skills.

Digital skills are associated with a range of benefits, both for individuals and the wider economy. These include improved employment prospects, financial capability, access to support services, enhanced health and well-being, and the ability to engage socially and within the community (UK Parliament Post).

Without these skills, individuals can be at a significant disadvantage. It was found that on average, adults who lack basic digital skills earn less than those who are competent in the five skill areas outlined below. They are also less likely to progress in their careers and are missing opportunities to save money and better manage their finances.

With this in mind, it is important that as educators we support adults to upskill digitally, facilitating enhanced opportunities for further learning, work and life.

Ascentis Essential Digital Skills Qualifications

Ascentis have recently launched their Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQ) which are fully funded for adults who are inexperienced with digital devices and the internet. This qualification focuses on bridging the gap between the digital first (individuals who own multiple digital devices and interact with online content on a daily basis) and the digitally disengaged (individuals who have little or no experience of using digital devices and accessing online content). Ascentis EDSQ, available at Entry 3 and Level 1, cover the basic digital skills needed for life and work and are mapped to the National Occupational Standards outlined below.

National Occupational Standards for Essential Digital Skills

The Government have identified five key skill areas that adults will need to underpin all essential digital skills. These are:

  • Using devices and handling information

This includes using a digital device, finding and evaluating information, managing and storing information and identifying and solving technical problems.

  • Creating and Editing

Creating and editing documents, digital media and processing numerical data.

  • Communicating

The skills required to communicate, collaborate, and share information.

  • Transacting

The skills required to register and apply for services, buy and sell goods and services, and manage online transactions.

  • Being safe and responsible online

The skills required to stay safe, legal and confident online.

Holistic assessments ensure that skills are explored in a real-world context, with learners encouraged to use digital devices throughout the course of the qualifications. This enables learners to be more digitally mobile and access important information and services, transact online and explore technologies which will improve their social interactions with family and friends. It will also provide them with further opportunities to progress in employment or further study.

Following feedback from centres, Ascentis have developed some fantastic diagnostic resources which meet the requirements of the National Occupational Standards for Essential Digital Skills. These resources, available for both Entry 3 and Level 1, help to determine the appropriate level of qualifications the learner should access. Additionally, once a learner has worked through the resources, their results can be used to inform teaching and identify any gaps in their knowledge.

The Ascentis Essential Digital Skills Qualifications are ESOL-friendly and are widely used with speakers of other languages alongside their ESOL programmes. We provide tailored resources for ESOL tutors and learners which include a guide to support teachers and a vocabulary resource for learners containing activities to help with learning and understanding the language used in EDSQ.

Why Choose Ascentis Digital Skills for your learners?

  • Ascentis offer a full Digital suite of qualifications from Pre-Entry to Level 3
  • Comprehensive tutor guidance and learner resources are available to help you teach these qualifications and your learners to succeed
  • Brand new interactive learner resources for EDSQ will be available shortly. These will encourage learners to immerse themselves in the five skill areas and enable them to become more digitally engaged.
  • Free diagnostic resources are provided to ensure your learners are accessing the appropriate level  
  • Our EDSQ qualifications are ESOL-friendly with tailored resources provided to support tutors and learners
  • Qualifications can be delivered through classroom-based and blended learning
  • Funding available for adults aged 16+
  • Ascentis customers can deliver these qualifications and over 400 others with no extra charge

Ascentis and bksb

As one of the fastest growing UK awarding organisations we are delighted to have partnered with bksb, a leading online Edtech platform, to offer additional comprehensive learning resources to enhance your EDSQ provision. Ascentis centres delivering EDSQ can take advantage of our exclusive discount. You can find out more here.

To learn more about delivering Ascentis digital qualifications and how they can benefit your learners, visit www.ascentis.co.uk or email hello@ascentis.co.uk.

Apprenticeship starts recovering to pre-pandemic levels, DfE data shows

Apprenticeship starts appear to be recovering to pre-Covid levels, according to new Department for Education data.

Provisional figures published this morning show there were 130,200 starts recorded from August to October 2021, compared to 91,100 reported for the same period in 2020 – a 43 per cent jump.

The starts recorded for the first quarter of 2021/22 are also 3 per cent up on the 125,800 reported for same period in 2019 before the pandemic struck.

However, the picture is less rosy for traineeships which are struggling to take off despite substantial investment from the Treasury.

Today’s data shows there were 5,600 traineeship starts recorded between August and October 2021 – a 5 per cent fall on the 5,900 recorded for the same period in 2020, and a 2 per cent drop on the 5,700 reported in 2019.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak set a target to triple the number of starts in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, backed with almost £250 million.

A progress report for Sunak’s Plan for Jobs was published in September and revealed there were 17,000 traineeship starts last year – 46 per cent of the government’s 36,700 target.

Ministers hope to achieve 43,000 starts on the scheme this year – meaning another 37,400 will need to be found over the next three quarters.

16-18 apprenticeship starts almost back to a third

Today’s data shows the proportion of apprenticeship starts in the under 19 age group have recovered following the drop seen this time last year. The percentage now stands at 31 per cent, compared to 26 per cent in 2020 and 32 per cent in 2019.

The number of starts from learners aged 25 and over has increased again – from 41,500 to 49,800, but the proportion for this age group has dropped from 46 per cent in 2020 to 38 per cent in 2021.

Higher apprenticeships continue to grow in 2021/22. Starts at levels 4 to 7 increased by 27 per cent to 38,200, compared to 30,100 in the same period last year.

Starts at level 6 and 7 (degree level) increased by 35 per cent from 14,300 in the first quarter of 2020/21 to 19,400 in 2021/22).

ITPs continue to dominate apprenticeships space

Out of 130,200 apprenticeship starts in the first quarter of the 2021/22 academic year, private training providers were responsible for 57 per cent (74,300).

General FE colleges meanwhile accounted for 26 per cent (33,700).

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi issued a call to arms to college leaders to deliver more apprenticeships during an address to the Association of Colleges conference in November. He said: “Currently around 30 per cent of apprenticeships are carried out in colleges, but if we really want to transform supply we will have to grow that number.”

Today’s statistics also provide an update for take-up of the chancellor’s apprenticeship incentive scheme, which hands employers a “bonus” of £3,000 to take on a new apprentice of any age up to January 31, 2022.

As of January 10, 2022, 161,860 claims for the incentives had been made.

£60m tender launched for third wave of skills bootcamps

The Department for Education has launched the biggest expansion to date of the skills bootcamps scheme – with £60 million up for grabs for training providers.

Skills bootcamps are one part of the National Skills Fund, a £2.5 billion initiative to help adults train and gain skills quickly to improve their job prospects.

The bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks for adults aged 19 or over who are either in work, self-employed, recently unemployed or returning to work after a break.

The government initially tested skills bootcamps in a range of digital skills such as digital marketing, software development and cyber security from Autumn 2020 with an £8 million pot. It has since expanded, with an additional £42 million, across England to include a wider range of more technical and specialist courses.

Now, as part of wave 3 of the scheme, the government has invited suppliers to bid for contracts to provide bootcamps for seven lots.

These lots include digital core, digital bespoke, technical core, technical bespoke, construction, pathway to accelerated apprenticeships and green skills.

The funding available for each lot differs, with the most being for lot 1 digital core (£25 million) and the least being for construction (£2 million).

‘Bespoke’ bootcamps in technical or digital can be suggested by providers where they believe there is demand. Some £5 million is available for bidders in those categories.

One new bootcamp the DfE is planning to fund is a “pathway to accelerated apprenticeships”. The DfE suggested that bootcamp subjects could include any of the sector skills specified in all other lots that map to a recognised apprenticeship. A total of £8 million has been set aside for suppliers who can provide these bootcamps.

Five weeks to bid

The government said that lead providers could be a further or higher education organisation, an employer, a training provider or other organisation (other than a local authority, mayoral combined authority, local enterprise partnership). They added that they are also welcoming consortia bids.

As part of the contract, lead providers must clearly state which employers are involved with the bid and how employers will have input into the co-design and approval of the training.

The initial term of any awarded the contract is for 12 months. At the discretion of the government contracts can be extended for a further period of up to 12 months.

Any decisions to continue funding skills bootcamps beyond 2023 will be based on an evaluation of the model’s first three waves.

Tender bids for this latest wave should provide costs for one year and should be submitted by February 28, 2022.

Funding paid based on three milestones

Skills bootcamps are currently subject to funding rules outside of wider adult education budget and ESFA subcontracting rules.

The funding model for the bootcamps will be based on an agreed unit rate per eligible learner. Providers will be paid three consecutive payments if their learners reach defined milestones.

For example, those who provide bootcamps for lots one to five and lot seven will be paid 45 per cent of their overall payment after a learner completes five qualifying days.

They will be paid 35 per cent on a learner’s course completion and offer of an interview and a third payment of 20 per cent if the learner has a “successful outcome”.

The DfE defines a successful outcome as being the offer of a new job (which must be continuous employment for at least 12 weeks), an apprenticeship, a new role or additional responsibilities with an existing employer, or new contracts or new opportunities for the self-employed, utilising the skills acquired in the skills bootcamp, within six months of completing the course.

For providers offering the new ‘pathway to accelerated apprenticeships’ bootcamps, payments will be made under a similar pattern, however, the DfE said they will use a different definition of a “successful outcome” for learners.

Providers will be paid their final payment if they can show learner has been made an offer of an accelerated apprenticeship (which must be continuous employment for at least 12 weeks), with a new or existing employer, utilising the skills acquired in the Skills Bootcamp, within six months of completing the skills bootcamp. 

The DfE will monitor providers by getting them to submit data using individualised leaner record and management information data returns.

DfE data published in December showed that skills bootcamps had failed to deliver improved employment outcomes to nearly half if its first cohort of learners.

Contracts for the third wave are due to start in August.