Question to the Department for Education:

What steps his Department is taking to support take-up of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.

From 1 April the government is supporting any adult who does not have A levels or equivalent to access almost 400 fully funded level 3 courses as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.

We are investing £95 million over the current Spending Review period, which includes a funding uplift to give providers the support they need, to scale-up provision and meet the needs of adult learners as we build back better from the COVID-19 outbreak. We have been working closely with local areas and providers to support delivery of the Free Courses for Jobs offer from 1 April.

We have also worked with the National Careers Service to ensure Careers Advisers can provide information about the training available to customers and we will publicise the offer, including through social media and stakeholder channels, to ensure we reach adults that can take advantage of this offer.

There are a number of shorter courses that can help adults progress in the labour market, so they can pick a course that fits their life. We are continuing to work with the sector and potential learners to understand barriers to learning and how we can support adults to take up this offer.

Furthermore, we have introduced Skills Bootcamps, which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving adults aged 19 and over the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. Skills Bootcamps are employer-led initiatives which aim to meet local demand.

Wave 1 Skills Bootcamps have been oversubscribed due to high demand. So far, nearly 2,800 adults started courses on over 80 different Skills Bootcamps across the 6 areas where we rolled out the trailblazers.

We are investing £43 million as part of the National Skills Fund to expand the digital and technical Skills Bootcamps across all regions of England. With this funding, we can assist employers across England to fill their vacancies.

Following a competitive application process, successful bids for the second wave of Skills Bootcamps will be announced in due course and we are anticipating that this second wave of Skills Bootcamps will train approximately 20,000 individuals across England.

Local areas are working closely with Skills Bootcamps to advertise them and encourage learners to take up this opportunity. This includes encouraging learners from underrepresented groups to ensure a diverse cohort, reflective of the local population.

We have worked with Department for Work and Pensions to align the employment and skills support offer. Later this month, the Department for Work and Pensions’ Train and Progress campaign will be further enhanced by an increase in the amount of time Universal Credit claimants can take part in full-time training to 12 weeks, up from the current 8 weeks, helping them gain the skills and qualifications needed for good jobs.

The change will ensure Universal Credit claimants can access sector-specific training provided as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, including Skills Bootcamps and some of the free level 3 qualifications while receiving the financial support they need.