Over 4,000 spaces have now been made available on bootcamps to support people looking to upskill or land a new job after additional funding was secured by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

In total, the WMCA received £15.5m from the government to continue providing bootcamps until at least 2024 to encourage new learners and those keen to fast track onto the employment ladder.

People like Moheeb Noor, who recently completed WMCA’s pioneering digital bootcamp course after losing his job during the pandemic. These bootcamps are free of charge for learners and equip West Midlands residents with digital skills, giving them to access roles in areas like coding, cybersecurity and digital marketing.

Now having graduated from the course, Moheeb is soon to be using the skills he learnt in his new role as a Junior Service Desk Analyst at the digital transformation company, Methods.

Moheeb Noor is soon to be starting a new role as a Junior Service Desk Analyst thanks to completing a WMCA funded bootcamp.

He said: “I previously taught English as a foreign language, but when the pandemic hit, work became scarce, and I wanted to make a change to pursue a career in IT.

“I signed up for a digital bootcamp after attending a ‘Discover Tech’ event and hearing testimonials from past students who had graduated the programme. Not only did the course introduce me to a network of employers, but it also helped me in various technical aspects, soft-skills support and aided me with my CV writing.

“The course feels like a complete A-Z for learners, and I would recommend it to anyone. I am now counting down the days until I can start my exciting new job, and it would not have been possible to do this on my own if it were not for the bootcamp.”

With the additional funding, thousands more people like Moheeb will be offered a chance to upskill or retrain in a new field with bootcamps available in the following sectors: Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering, Digital, Retrofit, Logistics and Green and Sustainability.

In the past year, WMCA has supported over 2,000 adults who were unemployed or looking to upskill to get a better paid job.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said: “A key part of my mayoral mission is to equip local people with the skills they need to succeed – including our young people – and that’s why I’m so pleased that we’ve won £15.5m in new funding from Government to do exactly that.

“This will provide over 4,000 spaces for new learners on our bootcamps – covering a wide variety of sectors including digital, retrofit and logistics - helping to prepare them for our rapidly evolving economy and enhancing their earnings prospects.

“These WMCA backed bootcamps help our residents onto the career ladder and encourage employers to invest in local talent. I cannot wait to see lives changed for the better in the months and years ahead.”

Cllr George Duggins, WMCA portfolio lead for skills and productivity and leader of Coventry City Council said: ““Bootcamps provide a wonderful opportunity for adults to learn the useful skills of the future and provides them with all the tools to get into employment quickly once the course has concluded.

“It is vital that we continue to offer the chance for people to retrain and upskill as it will have such a critical role to play in creating talented workforces throughout the region and further strengthen the backbone of our future economy.”

If you are interested in learning more about WMCA funded bootcamps, please click here: https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/productivity-and-skills/.