New ‘green skills’ bootcamps are set to be delivered in the North East following a £2.4m funding award.
The new programme of Skills Bootcamps will be coordinated by the North East LEP amid moves to equip people with the skills they need to take on roles in the growing green economy. Courses cover topics ranging from green construction to wind energy, and are on offer to anyone over the age of 19, and are funded by the Government’s National Skills Fund.
The free bootcamps, which form part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, offer flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving those who take part the chance to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer Qualifications at a range of levels are available, and are designed to prepare people for roles including working with renewable energy technologies like solar and wind power, and retrofitting homes with equipment such as heat pumps.
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The bootcamps in green skills are open to individual learners and also to businesses that want to upskill existing staff. Michelle Rainbow, skills director at the North East LEP, said: “We know that, with the national drive to reduce carbon emissions, thousands more skilled jobs will emerge in the energy sector in our region.
“We want people and businesses in the North East to be in a position to take advantage of these opportunities and that’s why we’re working with employers and training providers to deliver this new programme of Skills Bootcamps.
“The bootcamps in our region are informed by recent studies which have taken place, looking at the skills which will be needed in our energy sector in the coming years.
“They’re perfect for someone who wants to add to their existing skillset – for example, a plumber who wants to learn how to install heat pumps – and also for people who want to enter the renewable energy industry for the first time, whether they are self-employed, unemployed or currently work in a different sector altogether.”
The programme follows a report commissioned by the North East LEP and the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub – the Domestic Retrofit Skills Needs Assessment – which revealed that up to 80,000 skilled workers will be needed in the regions if the UK is to reach its net zero target by 2030.
The North East LEP is working with training providers and businesses in the region to tailor the Bootcamps to the North East’s skills requirements, while also ensuring learners are offered a guaranteed interview with a local employer on completing the course.
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