Developing the skills within your workforce has become essential. For many UK businesses, it is the difference between staying competitive and falling behind.
Whether you are trying to improve productivity, reduce skills gaps, or support staff progression, Skills Bootcamps offer a practical and cost effective way to train your team in high demand areas like digital marketing, data analytics, project management and more.
But if you are looking at Skills Bootcamps for existing staff, you will come across one key term: employer co-funding.
So what does co-funding mean, how much does it cost, and is it worth it?
Let’s break it down in plain English.
If you sponsor an existing employee to complete a Skills Bootcamp, your business will usually pay a percentage of the training cost. This is called co-funding.
In most cases:
• SMEs (1 to 249 employees) contribute around 10 percent
• Larger employers (250 plus employees) contribute around 30 percent
So, if the full cost of a Bootcamp place is £3,000, an SME may contribute around £300, with the Government funding the remaining £2,700.
That is what makes Skills Bootcamps one of the most affordable ways to invest in staff development.
Most employers ask this question immediately….If it is government funded, why do we have to pay anything? The answer is straight-forward.
Skills Bootcamps are designed to benefit the economy, but when you train an existing employee, the direct benefit is also to your business.
The co-funding model is a shared investment:
• The Government funds the majority
• You contribute a manageable amount
• Your employee gains valuable skills
• Your business gets improved capability and performance
There is no long-term contract. There is no complicated levy system. It is a short-term training programme with a clear business benefit.
The two ways employers can use Skills Bootcamps
These are the most important things employers need to know, and it is often missed.
- Upskill Existing Staff (Co-funded)
This is where co-funding applies.
You pay a percentage, and your employee gains new skills to use in their current role or progress into a new one. - Recruit New Talent (No Co-funding)
Skills Bootcamps can also support recruitment.
You can hire learners who have completed a Skills Bootcamp and are ready for work. In this route, employers typically do not pay co-funding for the training itself, because the learner place is funded through the programme.
This means Skills Bootcamps can support both:
• Workforce development
• Recruitment and talent pipelines
To take part in a co-funded Skills Bootcamp:
• The employee must be aged 19 or over
• They must have the right to work in the UK
• The training must be relevant to their job role, progression, or a future role within your organisation
• The employee must live within the area the Skills Bootcamp is being offered
Please see our Skills Bootcamp Funding & Eligibility for a helpful breakdown.
If you are unsure, our team will guide you through eligibility checks before anything is confirmed.
If you are spending money as a business, you want to know one thing…What is the return?
The reality is that most businesses are already paying for skills gaps in other ways, such as:
• Outsourcing work to agencies
• Paying for consultants
• Losing time through inefficiency
• Hiring externally instead of developing internally
• Staff leaving due to lack of progression
Co-funded Skills Bootcamps are often a lower cost solution than the alternatives. You are investing a small amount to build capability inside your business.
One of the best ways to see the value of a Skills Bootcamp is to look at the real impact it has on an employee.
Ellie, an employee at Brownings Ltd in Hull, recently completed our Digital Marketing Skills Bootcamp.
You can read about Ellie’s Digital Marketing story here.
Ellie described starting the course as a complete beginner:
“I began as a complete novice to digital marketing and Nicole was extremely thorough in her teaching. I learnt about all the different types of digital marketing as well as tips to apply it to my current field.”
What employers should pay attention to is what happened next…
Ellie gained the confidence and knowledge to step into a new role within her organisation:
“I’ve got a new position at work doing the digital marketing, and it has allowed me to go into this new role with confidence that I will be able to figure out what needs to be done and achieve what my employer wants me to achieve.”
For employers, this is the real value of co-funding.
It is not just training. It is progression, capability and confidence that stays inside your business.
Many training options feel risky because you pay upfront and hope for the best.
Skills Bootcamps reduce risk because:
• The Government funds most of the cost
• Training is short term and structured
• Learning is practical and workplace focused
• Employees can apply skills immediately
• The financial contribution is small compared to the potential return
For SMEs especially, this makes co-funded training a smart and manageable investment.
This is another major employer concern.
Skills Bootcamps are designed to fit around work, and many are delivered online or through blended learning.
That means employees can upskill without stepping away from their role for long periods, and you can plan workload around session times.
Here at Fareport, we also support employers through the process, so it does not become an administrative burden.
Is this the same as an apprenticeship?
No. Skills Bootcamps are shorter, more focused programmes designed to build specific skills quickly.
Will we need to sign a long contract?
No. Bootcamps are short term training programmes.
What if the employee does not complete the course?
Your training provider will explain the completion requirements, but in most cases, the key is supporting the learner to stay engaged and attend sessions.
What if my employee leaves the business after completing the Skills Bootcamp?
This is a risk with any training investment. However, many employers find that investing in development improves retention because employees feel valued and supported.
If you are considering a co-funded Skills Bootcamp, here is the employer case for it, in one sentence…..
You pay a small contribution and gain skills that would normally cost far more to train for, recruit for, or outsource.
Co-funded Skills Bootcamps can help your business:
• Build in demand skills quickly
• Increase staff confidence and capability
• Improve productivity and performance
• Reduce reliance on outsourcing
• Support staff progression and retention
• Strengthen your employer brand
At Fareport Training, we work directly with employers across England to deliver Skills Bootcamps that are practical, relevant and built around real business needs.
If you want to explore co-funding further and understand what training is available for your team, read more here – Employer Co-Funded Skills Bootcamps
Alternatively, complete the quick form on this page and we’ll get back to you. Thank you.
