Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland are set to benefit from a £9m cash injection for a career development scheme.
The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) has secured the multi-million pound funding from the Department for Education for the next phase of its Skills Bootcamps programme in the city-region, with a particular focus on the digital, tech, and green industries. The bootcamps are designed to help local people find employment in growing industries, change careers, or get the skills they need to move into a better job.
Skills Bootcamps “provides adults in the North-of-Tyne region with access to sought-after training and a fast-track interview for good quality work.” It also benefits employers by helping them fill specific skills shortages and team vacancies – increasing productivity within their organisations.
Councillor Karen Kilgour, NTCA cabinet member for education, inclusion and skills, said: “Our Skills Bootcamps programme goes from strength to strength. This funding boost 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.”
In the last 12 months, the NTCA has helped fund a wide range of Bootcamp courses in subjects such as digital marketing and cyber security, as well as low carbon heating, installation of green technologies, and rail engineering, to name a few.
The programme supports growing areas of the local economy and reinforces net zero commitments made by elected Metro Mayor, Jamie Driscoll, and the NTCA Cabinet.
Driscoll said: “This funding boost is a massive win for local residents across the region. The pandemic, and now the cost-of-living crisis, has had a devastating impact on people’s jobs and businesses. These bootcamps help get many of those worst-affected back on their feet while ensuring we have the right people with the right skills to support our rapidly growing local industries.”
