The government is launching a registration campaign for free digital skills boot camps to upskill the workforce

By enrolling in a free digital skills bootcamp, people can find a job that pays 55 percent more than the national average wage, research shows.

Government-backed bootcamps, initially launched in 2021, aim to fill gaps in entry-level recruitment for tech companies as the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology looks to sustain the growth of the UK tech sector.

Research by Barclays Eagle Labs and Beauhurst, funded by a digital growth grant from DSIT, indicates that some who complete the bootcamps could earn more than £70,000 in cloud computing, more than twice the national average wage.

The digital skills bootcamps are part of a bundle of fully funded coursesof up to 16 weeks, offered throughout the country and covering topics such as truck driving, project management and construction.

The courses are open to people over the age of 19 who have the right to work in Britain, live in England and meet residency requirements. Crucially, these courses require no prior knowledge or qualifications, just a good command of English.

Within the technology sector, the government is launching an initiative to increase enrollment in digital skills courses, with the upskilling program aimed at boosting the ‘five priority skills’ where there are gaps in entry-level recruitment in the technology sector: cloud computing, cyber security , software development, data and analytics and web development.

The Barclays Eagle Labs research shows that demand for junior recruits in the tech industry has increased since 2022, although it was noted that tech vacancies as a whole declined in 2023.

Michelle Donelan, Minister for Technology, told This is Money: ‘Technology is changing our labor market needs and our economy and the way we live. We will have to learn to have a different approach to education.

‘We need to develop a culture of lifelong learning and the ability of people to be able to reskill and upskill, to move into different areas and different sectors.

“And that’s why things like boot camps are so fundamentally important as a tool for people to be able to do that.”

In addition to upskilling, the boot camps are designed to help people find a job in their chosen sector, with each person guaranteed an interview with an employer upon completion of the course, Donelan said.

“The pass rate is about 50 per cent (for these interviews),” the technology secretary said, “but in the longer term it will obviously be much higher because you get this and you put it on your CV and it will unlock opportunities afterwards.”

“We want people to be able to access these jobs,” she added.

Bootcamp helped me get the Google UX certificate

For Arin Ososanya, the tech bootcamp allowed her to build a career as a community manager and lead user experience designer at Next Tech Girls.

Despite studying economics and Spanish at university, Arin found a passion for UX design that she knew couldn’t be satisfied by her choice of degree.

‘During my studies I participated in several hackathons. I did Google’s Black Googler Network hackathon, which my team won, and that really encouraged me to continue pursuing tech opportunities,” she told This is Money.

‘I tried to get the Google UX certificate myself while studying at university as a student, but it was difficult because I had to combine my full-time studies in a non-technical field and learn a course online by myself.’

When Arin enrolled in the bootcamp after graduating, she discovered that the sixteen-week program allowed her to complete the Google Certificate as part of a community, a certificate she “missed when I tried to do it on my own.”

Another advantage that Arin discovered was the flexibility of the course offering.

“It was self-paced,” she said, “the flexibility helped because I was already working nine to five during my internship. So I had to fit it into my schedule.”

“I would try to get up at five in the morning and do that between six and eight, and then get to work on my internship.”

According to Donelan, the bootcamp courses are designed to be as accessible as possible, with the 16-week programs allowing people to learn skills in a short period of time, without having to make the same time investment as other educational options.

The courses, many of which are offered online, are also available to students with Universal Credit, which you can continue to claim during the course. Because the bootcamps are free, they are available to those who are inexpensive for university and private courses.

“One thing I really appreciated about the program was its accessibility, and the fact that it was fully funded so that someone who might not be able to afford college can still access the information,” Arin said.

The enrollment drive, Donelan said, is about broadening people’s horizons, making sure they know these opportunities and these doors are not close to them. That this course is free and accessible.’

‘It gives you that short, sharp burst of skills and expertise to then go on and get a job or an internship in these areas and have a career path and something that is very rewarding and an area that will become increasingly important .’

Another success story, Adie Nunn, completed a web development bootcamp at School of Code, before scoring a role at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence.

Before enrolling, Adie had worked as an event promoter and front of house for pop-up events.

“I was interested in computers and technology from an early age,” she said. ‘But without a degree in computer science – and having failed the higher subjects in mathematics and computer science at school – I never thought a career in technology would be possible.’

“After changing roles and being laid off during the pandemic, I tried the School of Code bootcamp and never looked back.

‘The technical and soft skills I developed on the course were crucial in securing my current role as a software engineer at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, where I get to work on fascinating, challenging projects.’