In 2022, a new programme of Skills Bootcamps was rolled out in the North East, tailored to the region’s skills requirements. 

Skills Bootcamps are part of the National Skills Fund, a £2.5 billion government initiative to help adults gain the skills that are sought by employers and support the economy. Skills Bootcamps give people the chance to benefit from free training and guaranteed job interviews in high-growth areas, like renewable energy and green transport, to help people upskill, reskill or move into employment. 

They also give employers the opportunity to access training that equips potential employees with the exact skills needed within their sector. 

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (now part of the North East Combined Authority) was successful in receiving funding from the Department for Education to deliver Skills Bootcamps primarily focusing on green skills across a range of industries. 

Unipres and Nissan are two of the businesses in the North East to benefit from the programme, by delivering Skills Bootcamps in manufacturing electric vehicles and their components. We spoke with both Unipres and Nissan to find out more about how they have engaged with Skills Bootcamps: 

Rob Dodds, Controller, Unipres Training Academy
We’ve had a lot of support from the North East LEP (now part of the North East Combined Authority) from the very beginning, which has made everything very easy and the Skills Bootcamps have been a success for us from day one. 

Nearly 200 people have attended our Bootcamps so far, learning about manufacturing electric vehicle components, and it’s been very, very rare that we’ve had someone not be ready to complete the recruitment process and potentially secure a job at the end of the two weeks’ training.

I think the reason for this high success rate is down to the quality of the training. A blend of classroom based and practical learning has worked well – people don’t just want to be sitting down, they want to get to work and try things out, so we’ve made use of our training rooms and robotic equipment. 

And, after health and safety training, we take them on the shop floor to experience what they’d actually be doing as part of a job with Unipres.

We don’t hide anything; our staff come and talk to learners about what it’s like to work here, we answer all their questions, and we show them around. We want people to really understand the role and be able to decide if it’s right for them.

It’s a way of integrating people into the organisation really quickly and giving them the skills we need as an employer. And this means that, if they do go on to secure a role, they have all the right knowledge to be on the shop floor from day one. 

The Skills Bootcamps have been a perfect way for us to help people upskill and also a way for us to meet our recruitment targets. They are definitely something we’ll be continuing with. 

Dave Hutchinson, Senior Contoller, HR, Nissan 
As a result of our Skills Bootcamps, we’ve seen many people in recent months start their career in manufacturing with Nissan.  
 
During this unique two-week course we equip people with the skills they need to apply for a position at Nissan or within the North East’s thriving manufacturing sector, as well as giving them the opportunity to gain an insight into life in a manufacturing environment.
 
These individuals range from people who have applied directly from the website or attended via our successful partnerships with organisations like Changing Lives and the Newcastle United Foundation.  
 
By working with these charities, we’ve been able to make a real difference to individuals who might ordinarily have faced barriers to employment and the two-week programme also give us the chance to get to know them and start to build a relationship.
 
With a guaranteed interview at the end of the two weeks, we’ve seen a really good standard of candidate apply and their success is largely down to the commitment they’ve shown, and they deserve it.
 
So far, we’ve seen had an excellent success rate with most individuals still in the roles six months later.

To date over 50 employers have benefited from Skills Bootcamps funded by the North East LEP (now part of the North East Combined Authority) and 2,500 North East residents have been supported to reskill, upskill and find new and better jobs.  

Find out about Skills Bootcamps in the North East here.