Solent Skills Bootcamp

A fully funded, 120 GLH Skills Bootcamp leading to two recognised City & Guilds qualifications, a CSCS-ready safety award and a guaranteed job interview with a Solent employer.

Duration 120 GLH

From June 2026

Delivered by Blackburn Gould in partnership with

FREE For Individuals

Facilities Management training for the Solent.

A real route into real FM jobs across the Solent.

This Bootcamp is designed for two audiences: adults looking to enter the facilities sector for the first time, and existing FM staff looking to upskill. Whether you’re already employed, self-employed, returning to work or actively looking, the programme is built around your other commitments — with evening, weekend and blended options.

What you’ll walk away with

  • City & Guilds Level 1 Certificate in Introduction to the Facilities Industry (7612)
  • City & Guilds Level 1 Award in Health & Safety in a Construction Environment (6072-51)
  • CSCS Green Card test booking & application included
  • A guaranteed interview with a Solent FM employer
  • Wrap-around IAG, careers and pastoral support

Two qualifications. Four phases.
One clear pathway to work.

Delivery is locally contextualised — referencing live Solent FM environments including NHS Trust, University estates and local authority housing providers — so the skills you learn map directly to the jobs you’ll be interviewing for.

Introduction to the Facilities Industry
Covers FM service delivery, working safely in facilities services, customer service in FM, and sustainability — applied to Solent NHS, education, defence and housing settings.

Health & Safety in a Construction Environment
The recognised entry qualification for the CSCS Green Card. Hazard awareness, risk control and safe working — your gateway into FM and construction-related roles.

Three delivery hubs. Solent-wide reach.

We run cohorts across all three Solent Upper Tier Local Authorities, in venues already embedded in their local communities. Rolling intakes through 2026 and into 2027.

Landport Community Centre

Portsmouth, Hampshire, Existing BGA delivery venue

Southampton Community Venue

Southampton, Hampshire, Accessible from city centre & Itchen

Ryde Baptist Church

Ryde, Isle of Wight, Existing BGA island delivery venue

A guaranteed interview — not a maybe.

Every learner who completes the Bootcamp is guaranteed a real job interview with a Solent employer who has a live vacancy in facilities, estates or building services. We don’t promise jobs we can’t deliver: we co-design content with the people doing the hiring.

BGA’s results to date sit well above the national benchmark, and we target the same on Wave 7.

Call Our Team Directly To Book Your Placement: 01375 886 355
Or email info@blackburngould.com

Book Your Place Online

— Phase 01
Compliance & Safety

  • Asbestos awareness
  • Legionella awareness
  • COSHH & risk assessment
  • Fire awareness & first aid
  • Manual handling

— Phase 02
Facilities Knowledge

  • FM operations & SLAs
  • Employer-led sessions
  • Customer service in FM
  • Sustainability & net zero
  • Contract awareness

— Phase 03
Practical Maintenance

  • Painting & decorating
  • Plastering & tiling repair
  • Basic carpentry
  • Safe use of power tools
  • Workshop assessments

— Phase 04
Application & Progression

  • Workplace simulation
  • CV & LinkedIn workshops
  • Mock interview practice
  • Guaranteed live interview
  • Progression planning
Guaranteed interview on completion
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Target positive outcomes (BGA KPI)
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Qualification Achievement Rate (BGA, 2024-25)
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Learner retention across BGA programmes
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Is this Bootcamp right for you?

The DfE sets specific eligibility rules for Skills Bootcamps. Take a look — we can help you check if you qualify before you apply.

You must be 19+ on or before 31 August 2025 for Bootcamps starting between 1 August 2025 and 31 March 2026; and 19+ on or before 31 August 2024 for Bootcamps that started earlier.

You must have the right to work in the UK as set out on gov.uk/view-right-to-work — we’ll verify this at enrolment.

You need to be living in England, with residency that meets the DfE Adult Education Budget funding rules.

You must have a postcode in the Solent area at the start of the Bootcamp — covering Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, and the boroughs of Havant, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport and New Forest.

Whether you’re full-time employed, part-time, self-employed, unemployed or returning to work after a break — the Bootcamp is built to fit around your circumstances.

Things people usually want to know.

Can’t find your question? Call us on 01375 886 355 or email info@blackburngould.com — we’ll come back to you the same working day.

It’s free for individual learners — 100% funded by the Department for Education through the Solent Growth Partnership. Employers using the Bootcamp to upskill existing staff contribute a co-funding share (10% for SMEs, 30% for large employers). You’ll never be asked to pay anything as a learner.

Delivered over 120 GLH. We offer blended delivery with daytime, evening and weekend options so you can fit study around work or caring responsibilities. The minimum learner commitment to trigger funding is 14 qualifying days.

No formal entry qualifications are required. We do an initial assessment at enrolment to make sure the Bootcamp is the right fit for you and to plan any additional support you might benefit from.

Yes — a guaranteed interview is built into the DfE Skills Bootcamp model. Every learner who completes is offered an interview with a Solent employer who has a live FM or estates vacancy. Our target across the cohort is 75% positive outcomes (a new role, new responsibilities, an apprenticeship or progression into self-employment).

At one of three venues across the Solent: Landport Community Centre (Portsmouth), a city-centre community venue in Southampton, and Ryde Baptist Church (Isle of Wight). All venues are accessible by public transport and chosen because we already have a delivery footprint there.

As a DfE-funded provider we collect specific data through the Individualised Learner Record (ILR). We handle all learner data under UK GDPR and our published privacy policy, available on the BGA website. You can read our GDPR manual on the Policies page.

Email info@blackburngould.com with the number of learners you’d like to enrol and your preferred start date. Our Employer Engagement Officer will arrange a short call to talk through co-funding, co-design and the guaranteed-interview model.

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Upskill your facilities team — with DfE co-funding.

Already employ facilities, cleaning, estates or maintenance staff? Use the Bootcamp to upskill them. Most of the cost is covered by the DfE — your contribution depends on the size of your business.

Get In Touch For Corporate Pricing.

Call Our Team: 01375 886 355
Or email info@blackburngould.com