Local Skills Bootcamp receives £3m funding confirmation to tackle workforce shortages, boost economic development, and decrease dependency on overseas workers as part of Labour’s comprehensive reform programme.
The investment represents a key component of Labour’s “Plan for Change”, featuring policy reforms aimed at expanding training access across sectors including construction, healthcare, and technology.
Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan alongside apprentices, the national strategy encompasses establishing 120,000 additional training positions and 30,000 fresh apprenticeships, whilst broadening adult education course availability.
Stephen Morgan, Portsmouth South MP, commented: “Supported by exceptional investment levels, these transformative reforms will provide Portsmouth’s young people with skills opportunities that establish their future prospects.
“During conversations with Portsmouth residents, they express concerns about insufficient opportunities for local youth. Our Plan for Change requires a skills transformation, which explains our delivery of these opportunities across essential sectors like construction and healthcare.”
A revised funding methodology will redirect resources from master’s degree (Level 7) apprenticeships towards training younger and entry-level employees. Labour claims this approach will enhance equity whilst delivering “the most significant opportunity expansion in decades.”
Nevertheless, the strategy has attracted opposition. Professional organisations have cautioned that reducing advanced apprenticeship funding might damage sectors dependent on sophisticated skills, particularly healthcare and legal services. Additional critics suggest it may restrict career advancement for existing workforce members.
Employers have similarly expressed worries regarding Labour’s proposed 32 per cent Immigration Skills Charge increase, cautioning it threatens to impose additional business expenses without addressing immediate labour shortfalls.
Additional concerns have emerged about Skills England’s effectiveness, the new organisation designated to direct training policy. Educational specialists suggest its achievement will require learning from previous comparable programme failures.
Across the country, apprenticeship funding will increase to £3bn, whilst £136 million is allocated to Skills Bootcamps in priority industries. Ten additional Technical Excellence Colleges are scheduled to launch in 2025.
This announcement follows significant apprenticeship decreases in construction and health sectors, recording 2,060 fewer construction starts and 3,320 fewer health and social care starts during the previous year.
