Mayor of London launches skills programme

The Mayor of London has announced £27 million of funding for a skills programme to help Londoners get good jobs and boost economic growth across the capital.

The Skills bootcamps are flexible courses from two weeks to three months that support Londoners aged 19+ to get quality jobs in sectors key to London’s long-term economic success.

The initiative also helps employers to recruit diverse talent and fill skills gaps in their existing workforce.

City Hall covers 90 per cent of training costs for small and mid-size enterprises to upskill their staff, and 70 per cent for larger employers.

The programme will cover a range of sectors including digital, green, retail and professional services and include employers from big names like Tesco and Transport for London to smaller businesses and public sector bodies like Hackney Council.

The latest tranche of the scheme will see a 25 per cent annual uplift in funding, and a 42 per cent increase since the Department for Education first allocated the programme funding to the Greater London Authority in 2022.

The programme will be able to support more than 7,700 new learners.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “My Skills Bootcamps will play an important role in helping fast-track Londoners into good jobs in sectors that are key to London’s long-term economic success.

“This additional funding will help even more Londoners to access free accessible training and gain the skills they need to succeed. This is even more important given the high cost of living.

“Our goal is to drive economic growth in every corner of our city, raise living standards and ensure more Londoners can access good high-paid jobs, as we work to deliver the London Growth Plan and continue building a fairer and more prosperous London for all.”