
In England, there are government funded vocational training programs available in a wide range of subjects. These free courses are accredited by TQUK or NCFE and people who pass the training courses will be awarded with level 2 or 3 qualifications and certificates.
Success in these vocational training programs will develop learners’ skills and knowledge and will either help you to get a job, change career or improve your skill sets.
The UK government funds a varied selection of vocational training programs using the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the Adult Educational Budget (AEB).
There are thousands of different training courses available that cover basic skills to industry specific programs to help you achieve success in the type of job you want.
These free training courses are available for adults of all ages, whether you have just finished school or college or are an adult looking to change careers.
You can find a number of different types of free courses available depending on what you are looking for. These include:
Skills Bootcamps – available for people aged 19+, these free courses from business and administration to health and social care help you to gain the skills to become successful in jobs where there is a worker shortage. The courses are up to 16 weeks in length and people are guaranteed a job interview after successful completion.
Free Courses for Jobs – these courses are specific to help people gain the skills for a new job and apply for work. There are over 400 free qualifications from digital and engineering to construction to help people access better job opportunities. This is also available for employers who want to help their existing staff upskill with free courses.
Essential Skills – these are free courses to improve English and maths skills which last 3-6 months and digital skills which take 30-55 hours to complete. These courses are aimed at those who achieved below grade 4 (grade C) GCSE or if English isn't your first language.
Multiply – this is a free course to improve your maths skills. This will improve your confidence when working with numbers and reduce numeracy mistakes at work. There are flexible courses online and in person from hourly sessions to full certification programs.
Apprenticeships are also an option which helps people to learn the skills of the job while also earning a wage. There is a range of free training courses funded by the government to ensure there are suitable courses available for everyone.

Benefits of Government funded Training Programs
There are thousands of free training courses which are funded by the government which provide young people and adults with the appropriate skills to step up in their career. These training courses offer many benefits which appeal to people looking for better jobs in a sector they love.
The benefits of government funded vocational training programs include:
They are free – You don’t need to spend any money developing your skills which will help you to become more successful in your job or provide you with the correct qualifications for the job you want.
Learn new skills – You can develop your skills for specific job roles to show employers that you are invested in learning to increase your employability.
Improve job prospects - completing the appropriate training courses will improve your skills and therefore improve your potential job prospects.
Earn a higher wage – training courses are designed to enhance your skills which will help you get a better job with a higher wage.
Improve your work performance – once you have gained better skills that relate to your job, your work performance will improve which will also help with potential promotions and moving up the career ladder.
Completing training courses in the right job sector will provide employees with all the necessary skills and enhance your employability. It also shows employers that you are always willing to learn more and move up the career ladder when the time comes.
Completing training courses will demonstrate your ability to effectively manage your time, work independently and be able to adapt to new and evolving technology. These training courses will set you apart from others applying for the same job and the qualifications will enhance your job prospects.

Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria for the government funded training varies depending on the type of free training course you require. However, for all training courses, you will need to be 19 and over and live in England in order to participate in the training and receive a qualification or certificate upon completion.
For the Free Courses for Jobs, you must earn below £25,000 or be unemployed to be eligible for their training courses to receive level 3 qualification for free. The annual wage amount may vary slightly depending on location.
If you claim Universal Credit, you are eligible to apply for a free training course if it will improve your chances of getting a job. You are able to receive full time training for up to 16 weeks and continue to claim the Universal Credit benefit.
The Skills Bootcamps are eligible for people that are either full time or part time employed, self employed or unemployed and you do not require any previous knowledge of the particular job sector. You can also use this service if you are already employed to further develop your skill set.
For the Essential Skills courses, you must have received a grade lower than 4 (C) in an English or Maths GCSE or equivalent. If English isn't your first language, you are eligible for the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). You can access the digital course if you have none or little experience of using computers or digital devices. Similar to Essential Skills, you can apply to the Multiply program if you received lower than a grade 4 (C) in your maths GCSE.
How to Apply
The government funded training courses can all be found on the National Careers Service website. You can input your town or postcode and browse through the available courses local to you and you can also search for a relevant keyword to specify the job role or sector.
There are also filters down the left side to further narrow down the options including start date, course type, learning method, course hours and course study time.
Once you have found an appropriate training course for your needs, you can click on the course to expand on the details and find out who provides the course. At the bottom of this page, there is a button that says ‘go to course’ and this will open up a new window on the website of the course providers.
There will be an application form you need to fill out in order to apply for the training course. This application will require proof of identity such as your birth certificate or passport, personal details, your current qualifications and employment and eligibility status which will be assessed. If you are accepted for the training course, the providers will be in touch with the necessary details.
Some training courses will also offer learner support to help with other external costs that you need to attend your course.
This includes:
Materials and equipment
Travel costs
Accommodation
Laptop and wifi
Childcare costs

Comparison of Government and Private Vocational Training Programs
The government training programs are fully funded to help people of all ages develop new skills without having to worry about costs. Private or independent training providers are not managed by the government but the majority are funded for a certain amount of the training that they provide.
As they also receive funding, these private providers are required to receive regular assessments from organisations such as Education and Skills Funding Agency and OFSTED to ensure that everyone receives the same support from government or private training providers.
Private training offers vocational training for apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, study programmes (ages 16-19), traineeships and commercial training and there are currently over 1000 active independent training providers in England. Annually, there are 1.75 million adults in education and training and 30% of these receive independent training.
The government released a publication on the ESFA oversight of Independent Training Providers: operational guidance which highlights the measures taken by the government to ensure the service ITPs provide is up to standard. This includes an assurance regime consisting of apprenticeship compliance checks, funding rules monitoring, control assessments, financial health checks and more.
The government also introduced intervention measures for ITPs that received an inadequate result by OFSTED or those that failed to meet financial health standards. This strategy aimed to eradicate low quality training, protect learners and public funds to ensure ITPs provided high quality training for all learners.
Government funded training programs are available in an extensive range of subjects which are free for everyone aged 19 and over. You can learn new skills and increase your employability and job prospects by taking part in certified training.
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