Bootcamps 'providing jobs and filling skills gaps'

Stephen Odling, 39, is retraining as a HGV driver after becoming unemployed

Free courses to retrain jobseekers and those wanting to learn new skills are being expanded in Lincolnshire and Rutland.

The "skills bootcamps" offer training and qualifications in industries that typically struggle to recruit, such as construction, social care and hospitality.

Applications are open for a new programme of 64 courses, up from 35 last year.

Sean Knight, assistant principal at Lincoln College, said: "The average cost of an HGV licence is £4,000 with the training and licences so it's creating an opportunity and pathway for those who may not be able to afford it."

According Lincolnshire County Council, 54% of employers in Lincolnshire and Rutland are struggling to fill skilled jobs.

Bootcamps are free to learners and can be offered to the unemployed and self-employed.

Businesses can also use the scheme to train their staff and create bespoke courses to meet their needs, in return for a contribution towards the costs.

Stephen Odling, 39, from Lincoln, is retraining as a HGV driver after being made redundant from his customer service job in February.

He said he could not afford the cost of the training and licensing, but the free course meant he was able to finally try his hand at something that had always appealed.

"I've worked since I was 16, so it was pretty terrifying being out of work," he said.

"I've always been fascinated by trucks. I can get through the HGV course and become a driver, then the pressure will be off."

Employer Lindsay Burrows says bootcamps are "fantastic"

The scheme is being delivered by the county council, Lincoln College and Branston Potatoes, via a grant from the Department for Education.

"Last year, we had £2m and we trained 800 people, with 700 of them going into full-time employment," said Kelly.

"This year, we have £5m and we're looking at training more than 1,500 people."

Lindsay Burrows, driver trainer and compliance manager at Branston Potatoes, which is helping deliver the HGV driver courses, said the scheme was a "fantastic opportunity".

"We get people coming to us fresh, with no bad habits, and we get to work with them and mould them into the drivers we need them to become," she said.

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