Purpose

The purpose of this report is to seek a decision from Cllr Hubbard to approve awarding section 31 grant funding apportioned to Wiltshire Council to the Grant Recipients listed below for the delivery of Skills Bootcamp programmes.

Wiltshire Council is entering its third financial year of funding Grant Recipients to deliver Skills Bootcamps across Wiltshire and Swindon for learners aged 19+ who are one of the following: 1) unemployed, 2) require upskilling and 3) for the self-employed to address the skills gap to support businesses and the economy.

Wiltshire Council has received £1,500,000.00 from the Department for Works and Pensions for the delivery of Skills Bootcamps across Swindon and Wiltshire for the financial year 2026- 2027.

This report seeks approval to award the following amounts of grant funding to the Grant Recipients listed below for the implementation of Skills Bootcamp programmes:

·         The Construction Skills People Group Ltd £52,500

·         Western Driver Training £59,998.20

·         Yeovil College £80,000.00

Decision

I confirm the award of grants as set out in this report.

This decision was published on 7 September 2026 and will take effect from 15 September 2026.

Reasons for the decision

A range of stakeholders have been engaged; the interventions vary from online to classroom-based courses, and aim to up skill a diverse range of potential future employees. There is robust monitoring and outcomes focussed oversight from the Department of Education for the duration of the programme.

Alternative options considered

The council has considered all the expressions of interest from providers and aimed to offer a broad and diverse delivery mechanism, involving a range of locations and delivery models. We have also continued to engage with stakeholders when making decisions to ensure the programme remains aligned with local market demand/ need.