Skills City awarded £1.2m to fast-track 450 people into tech careers

By IN4.0 Group

22 Jul 2021

l-r-mo-isap-ceo-of-in40-group-debbie-brown-strategic-director-of-service-reform-at-salford-city-council-bella-copland-director-of-programmes-at-host_low-res.jpg

Skills City, a unique digital skills powerhouse set to transform talent diversity in the North West, has been awarded £1.2 million from the Department for Education (DfE) to deliver six Skills Bootcamps, fast-tracking 450 people into technology careers.

Developed by HOST, the Home of Skills & Technology, it is pioneering demand-led digital skills and talent provision at a scale to maximise the choices available to employers and learners.

HOST is operated by Lancashire business IN4.0 Group and led by Blackburn entrepreneur Mo Isap, who has over a quarter of a century’s experience in starting and scaling companies.

This follows the launch of Skills City in March and having secured the funding in response to the government’s £36 million national tenders, it already has the unique infrastructure in place to deliver a full spectrum of technology disciplines across the six Skills Bootcamps - part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs. 

The funding will support 450 people with fair access to digital skills training, by breaking the barriers faced by those from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds and empowering them into technology careers.  

It has committed that 50 per cent of learners will be represented by women in order to drive gender parity in the tech sector.

The number of people on Universal Credit has doubled to 6 million since the beginning of the pandemic, with a greater proportion coming from the North West.

Skills City is the first-of-its-kind to offer a range of alternative routes to employment in the tech sector and works with communities across the region to provide opportunities to people who may not have access, such as those on career breaks or who are financially disadvantaged.

The Skills Bootcamps are employer-led with support from industry leaders including BAE Systems and Bentley Motors, and XR and immersive experts Taran3D and v360.

It will offer free training to 360 people across five Skills Bootcamps, including cloud engineering run in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) through its AWS re/Start programme, and cyber security with Raytheon Professional Services, a Raytheon Technologies company, one of the largest aviation, space and defence companies in the world, where learners gain skills as a junior SoC analyst.

Unity Professional involves learning development tools for programming or artist training with the expert team from the UK’s only Unity Centre of Excellence, based at HOST. 

Niyo Enterprise will also deliver its specialist Skills Bootcamps in Black Codhers software engineering and Black Disruptors data analytics for black women, offering tailored access to training and careers.

For the Unity in Industry course, in partnership with The University of Salford, 90 places will be partly funded alongside a 30 per cent contribution from employers to upskill their staff in Unity programming, the world’s leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content.

Learners will have the chance to take part in projects to put their skills to the test and a majority will also get to work on real-life commercial projects provided by partner organisations. The courses also give personal development support to help prepare them for interviews and a tech career. 

Skills Bootcamps are flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.

Mo Isap, CEO of IN4.0 Group, operator of HOST, said: “It is a huge privilege to have this recognition for Skills City and to be a chosen partner for the Department for Education, we have an amazing opportunity to offer this alternative provision to our communities in the North West. 

“Helping to fast-track people who previously would not have had access to these opportunities into world-class technology careers is what we originally set out to do, and having reached this landmark, we are excited to change the dynamic of future skills and technology talent. 

“With Skills City, we have designed a unique blueprint to give employers and learners choice and our mission is to operate across the UK. We may be about technology, but the benefits we bring are all about people.”  

For further information about Skills City and applying for the Skills Bootcamps, visit: skills-city.com

Latest news

1

Fuuse raises further £6m as it heads to profitability COO Nik Southworth, CEO Michael Gibson, CFO Sonia Davies.

Fuuse raises further £6m as it heads to profitability

13 Oct 2025

2

Preferred developer named for strategic site Barnfield named as preferred developer for site

Preferred developer named for strategic site

13 Oct 2025

3

Warden completes hospital improvement work Warden Hospital

Warden completes hospital improvement work

13 Oct 2025

4

New planning rules for HMOs Chorley town hall

New planning rules for HMOs

13 Oct 2025

5

New India branch campus on the horizon for Lancaster University Keir Starmer meets Indian PM and included Prof Simon Guy Lancaster University. Pic Simon Dawson

New India branch campus on the horizon for Lancaster University

09 Oct 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

Unlocking major project opportunities in the North West
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
15 Oct 2025 - 15 Oct 2025

Unlocking major project opportunities in the North West

Strathmore Hotel, Morecambe, LA4 5AP

08:00 - 10:00

The New Employee Rights Landscape: Day One Compliance Essentials
EventBrite NORi - 15th Oct 2025 Webinar.png.png
LBV Hub Webinar
15 Oct 2025 - 15 Oct 2025

The New Employee Rights Landscape: Day One Compliance Essentials

Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Teams, PR253XH

13:30 - 15:00

The Autumn Re set - pour me a wine
LBV Advert_Autumn Reset 1200 x 630px.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Oct 2025 - 16 Oct 2025

The Autumn Re set - pour me a wine

The Artistry House , Preston , PR1 3JJ

17:30 - 19:30

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Header (26).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Oct 2025 - 16 Oct 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

October Freelancer Meet-Up
LBV Hub Networking
16 Oct 2025 - 16 Oct 2025

October Freelancer Meet-Up

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

HR Essentials for pubs, bars and licensed venues
EventBrite NORi - 22nd Oct Webinar.png.png
LBV Hub Webinar
22 Oct 2025 - 22 Oct 2025

HR Essentials for pubs, bars and licensed venues

Online - Teams, Leyland, PR253XH

13:30 - 15:00

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:30 - 15:30

Chamber Business Lunch – October
LBV Hub Networking
24 Oct 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Chamber Business Lunch – October

Lancaster Golf Club, Lancaster, LA2 0AJ

11:00 - 13:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin