To help address the skills gap facing the construction industry, the Government has launched its programme of Skills Bootcamps. Funding for this initiative was announced as part of the spending review in November 2020, and this national roll-out builds on the pilot programmes that ran at the end of last year.

Skills Bootcamps are flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector specific skills and fast track to an interview. Anyone aged 19 or over who is either in work, self-employed, recently unemployed or returning to work after a break is eligible to take part.

Apply for Skills Bootcamps in digital construction

There are three Skills Bootcamps focused on digital construction.

Skills Bootcamp in Digital Construction

For those without experience who are looking to start their career, graduates wanting to top up their knowledge before starting work or employees wanting to understand digital information management and BIM tools, T3 Training & Development is providing an introductory course which covers the basic skills needed.

Read more and apply here

Northumbria University is running two Skills Bootcamps. These courses are for people who already have industry experience and will cover subjects such as the role of coding in construction, big data analytics and machine learning, and industry-specific software training.

Skills Bootcamp in Construction Data Science:          Read more and apply here

Skills Bootcamp in Construction Software:               Read more and apply here

Employers can also boost the skills of their existing staff with these programmes. Courses will be subsidised by 70%, as long as there is proof of career progression as a direct result of the programme.

Connecting employers with new trainees at DBE.Careers

To help ensure these courses result in employment, DBE.Careers is working with T3 Training & Development, Northumbria University and training materials provider White Frog to build the BIM Trainee Directory. Companies can access this directory and employ candidates free of charge. It’s a commitment to supporting the industry by helping to bring in more trainees, who are in desperately short supply.

“We are delighted to announce T3 Training & Development are partnering with DBE.Careers to offer all our Skills Bootcamp attendees a direct link to employment. We provide the skills and knowledge whilst DBE.Careers gives excellent job opportunities straight to industry,” said Andy Adams from T3 Training & Development.

Paul Woddy from White Frog explained, “Teaming up with DBE.Careers for our Skills Bootcamps represents the difference between offering yet another training course, and instead providing a stepping stone into the industry. We provide the skills and DBE.careers provides the industry contacts.”

A focus on employability

As Skills minister Gillian Keegan explained, the focus of the Skills Bootcamps is employability rather than educational: “It’s 12 to 16 weeks, so it’s quite intensive training, and is really trying to get people some quite valuable skills.” The Department for Education has also set much stricter guidance for the Skills Bootcamps than with other adult education programmes, mandating their length, the requirement for a linked job interview, and subject focus.

The number of people accessing adult training and education programmes has plummeted by nearly four million over the last 10 years [1]. This fall is unlikely to be unrelated to the significant decline in investment over the same period. Between 2009-10 and 2018-19, government spending on adult education excluding apprenticeships fell by 47%. Employer investment in training in the UK is also low compared to other advanced economies. The Government is seeing Skills Bootcamps as a way to level up the skills of the entire nation, in order to both increase productivity and enable people to fulfill their potential.

As the importance of digital skills within construction and the built environment grows, a boost in training and upskilling is vital for the sector. For candidates, the scheme offers them an opportunity to break into an exciting and growing field, and help build towards greater digital expertise in construction.

Get ahead!

The first Skills Bootcamps start in October with new cohorts starting monthly. The links above provide all the information you need to get started – employee or employer. It’s a fantastic way to start a new career in BIM, or for employers to up-skill their existing staff, recruit new trainees and get ahead of the increasing shortage of BIM talent.