Member News
North East businesses can tap into a new multi-million skills fund to train, retrain and retain their workforce.
Gateshead College has been awarded £3m as part of the first wave of funding allocated by the newly formed North East Combined Authority to address critical skills gaps and support the growth of the regional economy.
This new funding, is part of a £17m fund for the region, will enable the college to offer free, flexible training courses to eligible individuals and at a subsidised rate to employers who wish to use Skills Bootcamps to develop their current workforce.
The Skills Bootcamps courses include Fintech, Virtual Production, Visual FX and User Interface/User Experience as well as covering other sectors such as engineering and manufacturing, green power, construction, teaching, business, hospitality and culture and events. Course content has been designed hand-in-hand with local businesses to deliver the skills the region needs.
They are open to adult learners (aged 19+) and provide a fast track to a guaranteed interview upon completion.
David Alexander, Gateshead College’s Principal and Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to receive this significant funding award from the North East Combined Authority which will enable us to meet skills need across the region. The work we have done in collaborating with local employer partners to design the content means the courses are focused on the skills employers are asking for, which ultimately will put people in a great position to secure work.”
Courses range from digital specialisms like visual effects (VFX), user experience/user interface (UX/UI), and virtual production, to advanced welding and rail engineering, wind turbine technician training and retrofit assessment. The college will also provide training in areas such as early years education, business, finance, events management and music performance.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “I want to create real opportunity across the North East and deliver a new deal for workers in our region. Helping people to retrain, improve their skills and fulfil their potential is crucial to achieving that, which is why I've invested £17 million in Skills Bootcamps across the North East so we can connect people to the jobs we're creating.
“It's exciting that people and businesses will start to benefit from the £3m awarded to Gateshead College, so together, we can create a brighter future and more opportunity for people, not just in Gateshead, but the surrounding communities the college serves.”
Councillor Tracey Dixon, North East CA Cabinet Member for Education, inclusion and skills, said: “People in the North East will be able to retrain, improve their skills and even step into their dream careers thanks to more funding and wider opportunities we are providing. This funding 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.”
The new Skills Bootcamps are being delivered in partnership with 3t Training, Maersk Training, Renewable Field Services and Training 4 Retrofit to meet specific industry needs.
The college has a strong track record in delivering Skills Bootcamps in partnership with other colleges and training providers in recent years. Since 2021, the college has managed £14.8 million in bootcamp funding, partnered with 14 delivery partners and supported over 2,600 individuals in gaining new qualifications.
In addition to this new funding, Gateshead College is also delivering a £3.48 million Skills Bootcamps in Digital programme, funded by the Department for Education, covering courses in cybersecurity, software development, cloud solutions, data analytics, AI and machine learning. These bootcamps are delivered in partnership with INFINITY27, Baltic Apprenticeships, and Foresight e-Learning & Creative.
For more information on these opportunities and how to register, visit https://www.gateshead.ac.uk/im-an-adult/skills-bootcamps
Employers interested in recruiting new talent or upskilling their existing workforce can also find details on how to get involved by visiting https://www.gateshead.ac.uk/employers/our-training.
