Skills Bootcamps

Skills Bootcamps are Government-funded, flexible training programmes designed to help adults aged 19 and over develop sector-specific skills that employers need. Courses typically last up to 16 weeks and are available across a range of sectors, including health and social care. Participants are guaranteed a job interview or support to progress in their current role on completion.


Skills Bootcamps provide a fast-track route into adult social care and can help employers address workforce shortages by attracting new entrants and upskilling existing staff. Health and social care bootcamps cover areas such as care management, wellbeing, leadership and frontline care skills.


Key objectives

  • Increase the supply of skilled workers into priority sectors
  • Support career changes and return-to-work pathways
  • Help employers recruit people with job-ready skills
  • Enable existing staff to upskill and progress


How Skills Bootcamps support adult social care

  • Provide pre-employment training for people entering care careers
  • Support development of supervisory and leadership skills
  • Help existing staff gain new knowledge and progress to higher-level roles
  • Create recruitment pipelines linked to local workforce needs


Examples of health and social care bootcamps include:

  • Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care
  • Developing Skills in Adult Social Care
  • Lead with Care
  • Leadership and management programmes for care professionals


Key benefits

...for Adult Social Care providers

  • Access to job-ready candidates
  • Support for hard-to-fill vacancies
  • Opportunities to upskill existing employees
  • Reduced recruitment and training costs

...for Individuals

  • Free, flexible and short-duration training
  • Pathways into employment in care and support roles
  • Opportunities for career progression
  • Potential progression into apprenticeships and further qualifications

Oxfordshire delivery and support


Skills Bootcamps are promoted through Enterprise Oxfordshire Skills and local training providers. Courses are driven by employer demand and are available to Oxfordshire residents aged 19+.


Relevance to Adult Social Care

  • Creates short-term recruitment pipelines
  • Supports career changers entering care
  • Provides sector-specific skills development
  • May support progression into apprenticeships


Further information

*funded by Enterprise Oxfordshire


Links


Part of the Oxfordshire Adult Social Care Workforce Initiatives Library