A FREE Skills Bootcamp has been expanded to offer free training across the region.

The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) launched a further wave of free Skills Bootcamps training.

The NTCA is a partnership of three local authorities, including Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, and Northumberland County Council.

Skills Bootcamps are flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.

Councillor Karen Kilgour, Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Skills said: "These Skills Bootcamps will give our residents access to in-demand skills training and a guaranteed interview for a more sustainable, higher-skilled job and higher wages over time.   

"Our employers will benefit from filling specific skills shortage vacancies, enabling them to become more productive, more quickly, to everyone's benefit," she added.

Training will be available in a range of skills areas aligned to employer demand across the region.

This includes logistics, technical and engineering, construction, green skills and culture and events. 

Skills Bootcamps are delivered in partnership with employers and further education training providers. 

NTCA secured £5 million in funding from the Department of Education to expand the range of Skills Bootcamps across the region, from this month to March 31 next year.

This will help over 2,000 people in the region access jobs, or progress to better jobs and unlock the life chances these will provide.

Skills Bootcamps offer bespoke training solutions to bridge existing skills gaps within high demand sectors, and place the employer at the centre of training and development.

The training and support available are aligned with local and national demand for skills, ensuring that people have direct line of sight to a job and support people to get skills for life. 

This builds on the North of Tyne's Skills Commissioning of the Adult Education Budget and Skills Bootcamps delivered under previous waves.

NTCA uses the devolved funds to boost the life chances and skills of people in Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland.​

Skills Bootcamps are part of the government's Lifetime Skills Guarantee, helping everyone gain skills for life.