Education and training services

Tender description

This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to advise prospective providers of the Authorities intention. It is our intention to hold market engagement events on the morning and afternoon of 16 December to discuss our plans to roll out Wave 2 of the Digital and Technical training bootcamps as part of the National Skills Fund Employer led training initiatives (aka Skills bootcamps) across England from April 2021. We are keen to engage with parties interested in working with us who will design, develop and implement a new flexible training model of digital or technical training (up to 16 weeks), to meet the needs of employers and to address the skills shortages vacancies in different regions of England. Please register for the event by 14 December at 3 p.m. with the organisation name contact details and job titles for attendees (a maximum of two attendees per organisation) to e-mail: ELIPT.MAILBOX@education.gov.uk Over the course of this Parliament, we are providing GBP 2.5 billion (GBP 3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations) for the National Skills Fund. The Conservative manifesto 2019 announced that a new National Skills Fund (NSF) would be launched. The fund will help businesses find and hire the workers they need; as well as supporting adults to flourish and fulfill their potential. The manifesto also stated that the NSF would support high quality training. These employer-led training initiatives (skills bootcamps) will help us understand what works, therefore lowering the level of risk of securing value for money. Learning and evaluation from these initiatives will inform the development of the National Skills Fund. They also aim to secure benefits for adults by giving them access to in-demand skills training and a guaranteed interview for a more sustainable, higher-skilled job and higher wages over time. The benefits for employers include helping them fill skills shortage vacancies enabling them to become more productive, more quickly. We are keen to understand how these training courses align with occupational standards where available and encourage bids to describe the alignment We aim to have 2 lots. Lot 1 — to award at least one contract for digital skills bootcamps in each of the 9 geographical regions of England to meet the skills shortage vacancy needs of local areas. Lot 2 – to award a number of contracts on a local or national level, for technical bootcamps (which can also include digital) based on evidenced demand (for example electrotechnical, nuclear, skills for net zero, green energy, etc.) Lot 1 and Lot 2 The authority will enter into contract with a named lead supplier. We expect lead suppliers and their delivery organisations to engage with local networks and intelligence to provide a pipeline of individuals to fill identified skills shortage vacancies which should be linked to guaranteed interviews for new recruits or a new role for current employees. Organisations could be local employers, sector bodies, ITPs, the FE sector, local authorities, and devolved administrations, we would welcome consortia bids. Employers will be expected to pay 30 % of training costs course fees if retraining existing employees. We anticipate that at least 75 % of all trainees will move into a new job or role within 6 months of completing training. We are interested in organisations that have expertise and experience across all the following qualifying criteria: — designing training solutions that meet employer requirements (expected level 3-5 equivalent), — able to demonstrate a track record of high-quality training delivery, — track record of recruiting suitable trainees using open, transparent, and fair methods, — flexible delivery to suit individual needs and current conditions, — management practises to track and report trainee destination at various time points for evaluation purposes, — management practises to coordinate employer’s guaranteed interviews and report on outcomes for evaluation purposes. Important – Organisations interested in this opportunity are required to Register on the DfE eSourcing portal prior to the estimated opportunity go live date anticipated beginning January 2021. To register follow: https://education.app.jaggaer.com/ For instruction on how to register please see link to guidance: Should a shortlisted supplier experience any technical difficulty with the DfE eSourcing portal, they need to contact the Jaggaer Service Helpdesk on 0800 069 8630 or e-mail help_UK@jaggaer.com To receive copies of the presentation if you cannot attend the event please email: ELIPT.MAILBOX@education.gov.uk