DD2786 Skills Bootcamps Funding Approach 2026-27 to 2028-29

1.1.    Skills Bootcamps are flexible, short (up to 16‑week) training courses developed with employers to address skills shortages and support Londoners into good jobs. Since Wave Three (2022-23), the GLA has delivered Bootcamps that have successfully supported unemployed Londoners, career changers and those facing structural barriers into positive outcomes. The workstream also supports those employed in key sectors to upskill, through delivering employer co-funded Bootcamps.

1.2.    From 2026-27, Skills Bootcamps will move into the Integrated Settlement, replacing the annual Department for Education wave‑based model. The GLA will receive £11.757m per year from the Department for Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), including £2.794m ring‑fenced for construction training. This confirmed allocation supersedes the forecast £19m figure set out in the Supporting Londoners to Benefit from Growth (SLBG) delivery plan (as approved by Mayoral Decision (MD)3395), requiring a revised delivery approach. It also represents a significant reduction in funding from the £29.994m provided by the DfE for Skills Bootcamps delivery in 2025-26.

1.3.    To date, around 17,000 Londoners have taken part in GLA‑managed Skills Bootcamps. This strong delivery base, and growing year‑on‑year performance supports the continuation of the workstream whilst implementing a shift to a more targeted, employer‑led approach, as approved by the Mayor under cover of MD3401. Under the terms of the Integrated Settlement, the GLA also now has control over how this funding is used and is not required to meet the various policy and delivery requirements mandated by the DfE for previous years of Skills Bootcamps delivery.

1.4.    This workstream aligns to the ‘Establish sector-focused talent pipelines to align training with sector needs and support Londoners into good jobs’ project under the ‘Creating an employer-led Inclusive Talent System and building talent Pipelines’ strategic ambition of the SLBG programme.

1.5.    Approval for this funding commitment is sought through a Director’s Decision, under the delegated authority granted by the Mayor in MD3395 to the Executive Director of Communities and Skills to authorise the use of resources for  named projects in the SLBG delivery plan including approving the receipt of any additional funding from central government or other sources (but not including funding from Adult Skills Fund budgets) for approved projects contained in the SLBG delivery plan. It is proposed that all commissioning documentation; grant and contract recommendations; and further programme level decisions will be approved in line with he GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.

Workstream approach 2026-2029
1.6.    The workstream will continue to support the following 11 priority sectors. Additional or removed sectors may be considered over the three years, subject to sector talent board endorsement.
•    Digital
•    Technical (engineering & manufacturing)
•    Construction
•    Logistics
•    Creative
•    Early Years
•    Hospitality & Experience Economy
•    Health & Social Care (including Life Sciences)
•    Retail
•    Professional Services (including Leadership & Management)
•    Green Skills embedded across relevant sectors.

1.7.    The GLA has allocated funding via this workstream previously via a combination of direct awards to existing training providers who have demonstrated good performance and an open competition commissioning process to fund new bootcamp proposals. Between 2026-29, the GLA will award funding each financial year to training providers via: 
•    direct awards to existing providers on a previous Wave who have previously been selected via a competitive process and have met required performance levels on a preceding years’ delivery
•    commissioning new bootcamps in response to skill needs identified by the sector talent boards or where a need has been clearly identified by a member of the GLA group for its own organisation
•    utilising available funding in-year as directly awarded growth funding to high performing delivery.

1.8.    Over the three year period, officers propose to transition direction of the funding allocated to this programme to the influence and control of the sector talent boards (where one exists for the relevant sector). 
•    2026–27 – Stabilisation year: Manage the overall funding reduction; prioritise continuation of proven bootcamps; pilot employer‑led commissioning; introduce modest delivery-rule improvements.
•    2027–28 – Reform year: Introduce multi‑year agreements for strong performers; implement evaluation informed changes; expand commissioning across Talent Boards.
•    2028–29 – Employer‑led model: Talent Boards have a much stronger influence on renewal decisions and sector allocations; GLA retains assurance, grant management and financial control.

1.9.    Consistent with recent years, officers will aim to maximise utilisation of the annual budget. Allocations will be based on the payment by results model and informed by financial modelling and historic delivery trends. To ensure full budget use, officers may over allocate funding above the nominal annual budget, based on modelled assumptions about typical levels of provider under performance.
 

2.1.    Skills Bootcamps contribute to SLBG’s aim of creating an employer‑led Inclusive Talent System that supports Londoners into good jobs and strengthens alignment with sector demands. The workstream directly supports Project 1.2: Talent Pipelines.

2.2.    Across the 2026-27 to 2028-29 period, the workstream is expected to achieve the following estimated outcomes, which will inform and align with the Integrated Settlement outcomes framework:
•    support approximately 10,000 learners
•    achieve an 85 per cent course completion rate
•    deliver at least 40 per cent positive economic outcomes
•    ensure at least 50 per cent of positive outcomes meet the GLA Good Work definition.

2.3.    The workstream will continue to utilise the learner milestone approach used in previous waves, providers will only be paid on achievement of following outputs and outcomes per learner. This approach will allow the programme to report against the outcomes outlined in paragraph 2.2:
•    the number of learners starting training and completing at least 14 calendar days (including a minimum of 10 guided learning hours)
•    the number of learners who start training and complete their course
•    the number of eligible learners (i.e. unemployed learners) who complete their course and obtain an offer of interview for a relevant role
•    the number of learners who complete their course and progress onto a positive economic outcome (including: a new job providing continuous employment for at least 12 weeks; an apprenticeship; increased responsibilities; a new role with an existing employer; or increased opportunities for the self-employed) within six months of completion of the course.

2.4.    The workstream management team will continue to implement robust assurance and performance management processes, including:
•    Payment by results supported evidence: Claims require Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data plus Supplementary Data Returns, consistent with 2025-26 requirements. All outputs and outcomes must be accompanied by evidence at the point of claim.
•    Regular assurance: Monthly payment cycles supported by ILR validation, claim checks and performance reviews enable in‑year reallocation or suspension of starts. 
•    Responsive commissioning: Ringfenced funding allows sector talent boards to direct new commissioning to urgent skill needs; high‑performing providers may receive growth allocations.
•    Decisions to continue funding a bootcamp into an additional financial year are only taken when they can be guided by robust performance data.

2.5.    Changes to the previously DfE mandated delivery requirements, will be subject to approval in line with the local governance arrangements. Requirements in consideration for changes include milestone payment weightings, milestone evidence requirements, milestone definitions, learner eligibility requirements, eligible qualification levels and restrictions in relation to guided learning hours.

2.6.    The approval of grant funding awards and further workstream level decisions will be completed in compliance with the obligations set out in The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 which describe when written records of decisions and their content need to be published. Grant funding awards will also be made in accordance with the GLA Contracts and Funding Code.

2.7.    Annual expenditure will be forecasted on the basis that outcome payments may slip into the following year as indicatively shown below across the three‑year period . The amounts provided are indicative; refined annually through SLBG governance, performance data and modelling and updated as part of annual GLA budget setting process. 

2.8.    Expenditure on management and administration (M&A) of the workstream will be based on an average of 10 per cent of the total funding available in the 2026-27 financial year. This is expected to increase each subsequent year due linked to inflation. M&A spend for which approval is sought under this decision includes cover for salaries for a team of dedicated provider managers who manage the Bootcamps grants, including the programme management roles; support officers responsible for data management, commissioning, and performance reporting; and contributions to the salaries of management staff who also contribute to the successful delivery of the programme. 

2.9.    The remaining M&A costs includes revenue for programme evaluation, data and systems support, commissioning external scoring resource (if required), marketing and engagement (including events and business engagement), and auditing costs. M&A spend will be managed in line with business needs and to support programme delivery. Commissioning of any external resources will be approved by the Assistant Director - Skills and Employment Delivery via a contract award recommendation. Procurement of services will be completed competitively in line with GLA Contracts and Funding Code. 
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the GLA (including the Mayor of London) must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) when exercising its functions. The PSED is a duty to have due regard to: 
•    the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010 
•    advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between people who share a ‘protected characteristic’ as defined in the Equality Act 2010 and those who do not. 

3.2.    The protected characteristics under section 149 of the Equality Act are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marital or civil partnership status, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Compliance with the duty may involve ensuring people with a protected characteristic are provided with all the opportunities that those without the characteristic would have. 

3.3.    This involves having due regard to the need to remove or minimise any disadvantage suffered by those who share a relevant protected characteristic that is connected to that characteristic; taking steps to meet the different needs of such people; and encouraging them to participate in public life or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low. 

3.4.    Skills Bootcamps are open to all adults aged 19 or over who are full-time or part-time employed, self-employed or unemployed, as well as adults returning to work after a break. Skills Bootcamps are designed to encourage the participation of underrepresented groups, such as those with protected characteristics and those who might face barriers to employment e.g. veterans or serving prisoners due to be released within six months of completion of the Skills Bootcamp and those on temporary release. The commissioning processes will therefore focus on ensuring individual Bootcamps make a commitment towards these groups and include appropriate targets in the signed grant agreement.

3.5.    Data analysis undertaken over Waves Three to Five indicates the workstream is effective at engaging Londoners with protected characteristics. Wave Five end of wave data demonstrates that bootcamp learners are very diverse, with only 25 per cent from White backgrounds, 15 per cent reporting a learning difficulty, disability or health problem and a relatively even age profile, with 54 per cent of learners aged under 34. More than half of learners in Wave Five were unemployed at enrolment, with a growing share of long term unemployed.
 

Links to Mayoral strategies 
4.1.    The Skills Bootcamps for Londoners workstream falls under the Talent Pipelines project of the SLBG programme delivery plan which aims to realise the Mayor’s vision outlined in his Inclusive Talent Strategy by, in part, creating an employer-led Inclusive Talent System and building talent pipelines. The 2026-27 Skills Bootcamps for Londoners programme is a key delivery element of the following SLBG delivery plan project: ‘Establish sector-focused talent pipelines to align training with sector needs and support Londoners into good jobs’. Across the three year period, the workstream will also contribute towards the development of the employer-led Inclusive Talent System by piloting new commissioning approaches which will be directed by the new Sector Talent Boards.

4.2.    The Mayor is focused on delivering an employer-led careers, employment, and skills ecosystem. This includes supporting sectors such as the Creative Industries, Visitor Experience and Financial, professional and business services which are highlighted as key strengths for London’s economy. The Skills Bootcamp workstream will directly support skills development in these key industries, as well as frontier innovation sectors such as Life Sciences and Artificial Intelligence.

4.3.    The Mayor’s priorities for skills and employment aim to address and embed good work practices across the capital, meeting Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion standards. The Mayor's Good Work Standard is integrated into the delivery of the Skills Bootcamp programme, alongside our ambition to strengthen inclusive employment. Providers will be incentivised to secure employment outcomes and in-work progressions that meet the minimum standard by offering at least the London Living Wage, utilizing skills acquired through the Bootcamp, and not involving the use of zero-hour contracts.

Risks arising/mitigation
4.4.    The key risks and mitigation measures are outlined below:

Conflicts of interest
4.5.    No one involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form has any conflict of interest.
 

5.1.    Approval is sought for the receipt of £11.757m annual funding from the MHCLG between 2026-27 and 2028-29 within the Integrated Settlement and the expenditure of the funding on delivery of the Skills Bootcamps workstream, including management and administration costs.

5.2.    Approval for this funding commitment is sought through a Director’s Decision, under the delegated authority granted by the Mayor to the Executive Director of Communities and Skills to authorise the use of resources for named projects in the Supporting Londoners to Benefit from Growth (SLBG) Delivery Plan (as approved under MD3395) including approving the receipt of any additional funding from central government or other sources (but not including funding from Adult Skills Fund budgets) for approved projects contained in the SLBG delivery plan.

5.3.    As outlined in paragraph 1.9, the plan is to over allocate against the funding available each year due to the payment by results model utilised by this workstream, this is in line with the approach taken in financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26. This approach aims to address expected provider underperformance and therefore underspend against each provider’s allocation. The proportion of overallocation to be used each year will be informed by financial modelling and prior achievement rates and will be subject to approval by the SLBG local management arrangements. In the unlikely event that the overallocation materialises into a budget pressure, the unbudgeted costs that may transpire will be contained within available revenue resources allocated to the Skills & Employment Unit. 

5.4.    The receipt and expenditure of £11.757m between 2026-27 and 2028-29 would be managed through the Skills Bootcamps programme budget. 
5.5.    It should be noted, the profile of spend detailed in paragraph 2.7 above, varies from the fixed annual funding of £11.757m to be provided by MHCLG as part of the Integrated Settlement. The flexibilities of the Integrated Settlement do allow the carrying forward of funding to future years and therefore these budget commitments for future  years will be subject to the annual budget setting process.

5.6.    Any contracts that commit the GLA in future years will be subject to appropriate break clauses.

6.1    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that certain of the decisions requested of the Director (pursuant to the Mayor’s delegation of powers under MD3395) concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation in Greater London and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:

•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people
•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
•    consult with appropriate bodies

6.2    In taking the decisions requested, the Director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation) and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Director should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

6.3    If the Mayor makes the decisions sought, officers must ensure that:
•    no reliance is placed, nor commitments made which rely upon the availability of future years budgets, or any third-party funding (whether Integrated Settlement funding or otherwise) which is not yet secured either by definitive GLA approval or in the case of third-party funding, binding legal commitments from the funders;
•    any award of grant funding is made:
o    fairly, transparently, in accordance with the GLA’s equalities requirements and with the requirements of GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and funding agreements are put in place between and/or varied (as applicable) and executed by the GLA and recipients before any commitment to fund is made
o    in compliance with the principles set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022; and, where a subsidy is identified following officer analysis and the total of such funding to any one recipient exceeds £100,000 in aggregate (whether approved under cover of this or any other approval paper), they register the grant on the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy’s Transparency Database.” 
•    all services, supplies or works required are procured in liaison with TfL Procurement and in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code; and contracts are put in place between and executed by the GLA and contractors before commencement of such services

6.4    If proposals in respect of which decisions are sought involve the making of commitments which extend beyond the current Mayoral term, officers must ensure that the terms of all agreements entered into in respect of the commitments do not fetter the discretion of any successor administration, considering in particular the London elections taking place in May 2028. Accordingly, officers must ensure that all agreements which involve the making of such commitments include a GLA right to terminate at any point for convenience (at no cost to the GLA) and all such agreements are managed in such a manner, and any services, supplies, works deliverables, milestones and/or output requirements are structured so as to mitigate risks of the GLA incurring abortive expenditure (which might be reasonably be taken to fetter, practically, the exercise of such discretion).
 

7.1.    The next steps are set out below: