Want to upskill your staff? Send them to the Mayor’s Bootcamps
London’s growth is built on skills, and businesses should jump at the chance to send their staff to the Mayor’s Bootcamps, writes Howard Dawber, deputy mayor of London for business and growth
London’s growth is built on skills
London has big ambitions – as detailed in the London Growth Plan, which the Mayor and I recently published with London Councils and our growth agency London & Partners. We’re aiming to turbocharge the city’s productivity over the next decade, adding billions to London’s economy and helping to create hundreds of thousands of good jobs across the capital. The plan is a blueprint to make London the best place to start and grow a business, and the best place to build a career.
This kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident; it’s driven by people. We must ensure that Londoners have the skills they need – and employers the talent they need – to boost fast-growing sectors from climate tech to the creative industries, as well as those where London is already world-leading such as finance and professional services.
The Mayor’s Skills Bootcamps
That’s why the Mayor, with the support of national government, is investing £27m this year so that more than 7,700 Londoners can take part in Skills Bootcamps: a practical, business-led programme that helps anyone aged 19 and up train for in-demand jobs, and helps businesses grow their teams with ready-to-work diverse talent.
We’re offering flexible but intensive training courses from two to 16 weeks long, designed in partnership with employers of all sectors and sizes to meet real hiring needs. They’re free for learners and heavily subsidised for businesses, with City Hall covering up to 90 per cent of employer costs.
Whether you want to upskill your current staff or recruit new people, the Mayor’s Skills Bootcamps are a smart way to tap into motivated talent. Companies like global marketing group Omnicom have already seen the benefits, not only making 150 hires through the scheme but crucially building a more diverse and dynamic workforce.
How to get involved
Since the Mayor launched the programme three years ago, over 12,000 Londoners have undertaken Skills Bootcamps, giving employers across the capital access to skilled workers who can hit the ground running and drive real progress.
London is the engine of our national economy, bursting with talent and potential, which the Mayor and I are committed to fully unleashing. A key action from the London Growth Plan that we’re now focusing on is an Inclusive Talent Strategy, to put people at the heart of our capital’s economic success.
To get London firing on all cylinders, we’re backing the sectors that have the most potential to grow and the people who will power that growth, to create real opportunity for businesses and for people.
So if you’re a business leader looking to grow, this is your moment. Working together, we can build a fairer and more prosperous London for everyone. Get involved in Skills Bootcamps now and help shape London’s workforce for the future.
- The Mayor’s Skills Bootcamps are open for employers and skills providers to apply until 27 May 2025 at www.london.gov.uk/skills-bootcamps.