A group of companies which specialise in the electech and electronic engineering industry have pooled resources to design and deliver bespoke Skills Bootcamps, ran by Tech Lancaster, in a bid to encourage more people to consider careers within the sector.

Having been successful in a funding application from the Department for Education, Tech Lancaster will run eight skills bootcamps with the first two 12-week programmes to be held in September and October.

Our Lancaster branch will facilitate the courses and provide support in the registration and booking process.

Tech Lancaster ran a similar scheme in 2021 which proved extremely successful, and it is hoped the uptake on the two upcoming courses will be equally popular with the electronics sector still struggling to recruit suitable candidates into job vacancies.

The first eight weeks of the course will be taught online in the form of one tutor-led workshop each week, with practical workshops providing hands-on experience held over the remaining four weeks.

Tech Lancaster’s Programme Manager Nicola Mortimer, who is also a Director at Milliamp Technologies, said:

“Tech Lancaster is a not for profit organisation formed two years ago to address the huge skills gap across England and the lack of training for people who want a career in electronics.

Our skills bootcamps are unique in the country as there’s nowhere else where people can get such hands-on training delivered by experts who have a wealth of experience of working in the industry.

Electronics is very hands-on and you get to use all kinds of different tools and solve problems. There are elements of electronics where you can sit behind the computer and produce creative designs therefore it’s a very varied career, and there’s a role for everybody.

The sector is very family friendly as you don’t have to work unconventional hours, the salaries are good and there’s good job progression opportunities available.

Everybody who completes the course is guaranteed an interview with an electronics company therefore we would encourage anybody who thinks this could be for them to get in touch and see if it’s a suitable career option.”

From the previous skills bootcamp held in 2021, a total of 66 people completed the programme. More than 40 of the candidates either gained employment or improved their job position through a promotion or wage increase within the sector.

The first bootcamps are focused on General Electronics and Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) driving the electric revolution through the transition to net zero motive power.

The following programme, to be held in January, will focus on cyber hardware and the IoT (internet of things).

Nicola said:

“The bootcamp in 2021 was a huge success but we need more people to get jobs locally and continue to consider careers within electronic companies as there are still many vacancies across the sector.

As it stands, the sector is set to lose many staff who are due to retire. Currently, there’s a learning gap due to a lack of electronics specific education resulting in companies looking to recruit at all levels.

It’s not necessarily just young people fresh out of education that would benefit from this course, and we are also looking for people wanting to upskill from similar engineering professions or people looking for a career change who may not have considered electronics before."

The team at Inspira will provide support in a range of ways including registration and booking for the bootcamps, with the team on hand to answer queries about people’s suitability for the courses.

Victoria Emmett, Inspira’s Area Operations Manager for Lancashire, said:

“We decided we needed a call to action to help address such a big skills gap within the electronics industry, and to help local companies in their search for new recruits.

This is a unique opportunity for people looking for an exciting career within such an interesting sector, and it’s a good chance to get hands-on and develop some skills for life.”

An information event will be held at Lancaster Job Centre between 10am and 12pm on Wednesday, August 31, with people asked to call Inspira on 0345 6588674 to register their interest in attending.

The courses are open to those aged 19 years and over and people who have resided in England for the past three years.