Government and Department for Work and Pensions Makes Massive Cuts to Skills Bootcamps

How a “budget-led” funding model is devastating proven skills programmes across the South West, and what we’re doing about it

The Crisis

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has made a decision that will set back skills development in the South West by years. Under a new “budget-led” funding model, Skills Bootcamp allocations for 2026-27 are now based on what areas spent in 2024-25, rather than current demand or future need.

The problem? Many programmes, including those in Somerset, were still building momentum in 2024-25. They hadn’t yet hit full capacity. Under this new model, they’re being judged on an incomplete picture and punished for it.

Somerset Council itself called the funding methodology “perverse”.

The numbers are stark:

Metric Figure
Somerset funding cut 68% (£4.75m → £1.5m)
South West total cut £9 million
National cuts (19 areas confirmed) Over £80 million
Somerset positive outcomes 95.5%
Somerset learners 2025-26 1,100+
Somerset learners 2026-27 (projected) ~380

Let that sink in. Somerset achieved 95.5% positive outcomes. The programme exceeded its targets. It worked. And now it’s being cut because, according to sources close to the DWP, they didn’t expect it to work this well.

The DWP expected outcomes around 50-60%, in line with historical averages. When regions started hitting 90%+ positive outcomes, the money ran out faster than anticipated. So instead of recognising success and investing further, they’ve slashed the budget.

To paraphrase: they succeeded themselves out of funding. That’s some terrible planning for leaders of the country.

The Regional Picture

The South West has been hit particularly hard. Here’s the breakdown for areas where data has been confirmed:

Area 2025-26 2026-27 Cut
Somerset (inc. Dorset, Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch) £4.75m £1.5m 68%
Devon £8.3m £3.3m 60%
Wiltshire (inc. Swindon) £2.1m £1.5m 29%
Cornwall £3.7m TBC —
South West Total (confirmed) £15.2m £6.3m 58%

Source: FE Week / Local authorities. Cornwall allocation not yet confirmed.

And this isn’t just a South West problem. Across the 19 areas that have confirmed their allocations, over £80 million is being stripped from skills training. The true figure will be higher once the remaining 16+ areas disclose theirs.

The Impact on Techosaurus

I’ll be honest: this has hit us hard.

We’ve now received confirmation of the Wave 7 allocations from Somerset Council via our college partner, Yeovil College. For Techosaurus as a provider, our cut is over 90%.

To put that in perspective: in 2025-26, we trained nearly 150 people on our AI and Automation Bootcamps alone. We had demand for more. We could have done much more.

For 2026-27, across the entire Somerset region, Yeovil College has been allocated just 10 learners for Generative AI Skills Bootcamps. Ten. For the whole county.

We currently have a waiting list of over 50 people wanting Generative AI skills training, with more coming in each week. Under this allocation, we’ll be lucky to support one-fifth of them.

And our Automation Training? The cohort that started in January 2026 will be the first and last Automation Skills Bootcamp delivered by Techosaurus under this funding model. All those months of curriculum development, all the learners who wanted to take part in future courses, all the businesses who were planning to send their teams… gone.

Why This Matters

Skills Bootcamps aren’t just another government training scheme. They fill a critical gap between education and employment.

For learners: Free or heavily subsidised training in skills businesses and employers actually need, helping entrepreneurs grow their business, skilling up employees for career growth, and for those without work providing a guaranteed job interview at the end.

For employers: Access to funded training designed by industry experts without the time or cost of building training programmes from scratch. Up to 100% funding for self-employed learners, 90% for SMEs, and 70% for larger businesses.

For local economies: Training that’s designed around local industry needs, delivered by local providers, creating local jobs. It keeps skills and talent in the region.

When you cut this funding, you’re not just affecting numbers on a spreadsheet. You’re telling hundreds of people in Somerset that the opportunity they were planning on, the course that would have changed their career trajectory, isn’t available anymore. You’re telling employers that the pipeline of skilled workers they were relying on has dried up.

And you’re widening the skills gap that the government claims it wants to close.

What People Are Saying

Within a week of launching our #SaveSkillsSouthWest campaign, we received almost 20 letters of support from bootcamp graduates and employers. Their words speak louder than any statistics.

Becky Wright, Dryad Gin (Rural Somerset)

“Cutting funding to programmes like this feels profoundly unfair. SMEs and sole traders need access to emerging technologies such as AI if we are to compete on a level playing field. Without this support, the marketplace becomes increasingly unequal, favouring larger businesses with the resources to buy in expertise.”

Becky used her bootcamp training to complete a complex HMRC Alcohol Production and Packaging Approval application that previously felt “prohibitively complicated.” She now uses AI daily for admin, bid writing, and navigating complex documents.

Darren Branch, Music Promotions (South Petherton)

“I come from a non-traditional background. I spent 35 years selling bathrooms and have no formal qualifications. This bootcamp gave me the tools, confidence and belief that I can run a modern business using technology.”

Darren built automations that save him 8 hours per week. He created a CustomGPT that processes 2,000+ music events weekly, extracting relevant data and reducing his workload from a full day to minutes.

Sue Bryan, IronDish Farm Services

Sue was working over 100 hours per week before the bootcamp. Since completing it, she’s secured £17,000 of new contract work plus a £64,000 maternity cover contract. Without the efficiency gains from her training, she couldn’t have taken on both opportunities.

“I do not believe I would have accessed or completed this training if it had required significant travel, taking two full weeks away from work, or completing it alone online. The local, in-person delivery was critical to my participation and success.”

Richard Howes, Kontrolit (Yeovil)

“It genuinely felt like being taught how to fish, rather than being handed a meal. These are skills for life. They remain relevant regardless of how tools change.”

Richard used his training to restructure an entire department at his company, with significant time savings and a noticeable shift in company culture.

Will Rayner, Courtyard Framing (Minehead)

Will built a production management system that saves 30 hours per month in staff time. It handles ordering, batching, stock control, and progress chasing.

“A year ago I was barely aware of what a root directory was, let alone how to find one. Today I am building a RAG-based chatbot and developing complex configuration websites, alongside automations that solve real business problems.”

Jamie Forster, Motley.co.uk (North Dorset)

“As someone who is neurodivergent, this has been a genuine game-changer. It has had a multiplier effect on how I work, helping me move more easily from ideas to action.”

Jamie is currently on our Automation Bootcamp, the one that will now be our last.

Greg Rochester, Thrive Somerset (Charity Sector)

“This funded, locally-run course transformed how we deliver services. It’s sparked renewed vigour for growth, helping us serve Somerset more efficiently.”

These aren’t abstract testimonials. These are real people, in real businesses, across our region. Sole traders. Charities. SMEs. Manufacturers. Consultants. Photographers. Coaches.

Every one of them has a story about how Skills Bootcamps changed their trajectory. And every one of them represents dozens more who won’t get that opportunity under the new funding model.

The Response: Somerset Chamber of Commerce Joins the Fight

This issue has now been picked up by Somerset Chamber of Commerce. I’ve been speaking with David Crew, their Managing Director, who not only operates as the region’s chamber but is also working with the Council to create the latest Local Skills Improvement Plan.

The Chamber has launched its own campaign to gather evidence from employers about the value of Skills Bootcamps. David’s statement pulls no punches:

“Skills Bootcamps have played a vital role in supporting Somerset’s economy by providing short, intensive training aligned directly with employer needs. They have helped address persistent skills shortages in key sectors such as construction, engineering and manufacturing, digital and health, while enabling residents to retrain, upskill and move into sustainable employment.”

“Employers across Somerset have strongly valued the programme for its flexibility, responsiveness and focus on real workforce demand. In fact, businesses have collaborated with training providers to achieve over 95% positive learner outcomes from Skills Bootcamps in Somerset, yet our region is facing a 68% reduction in funding for these vital training courses.”

David highlights the broader economic context:

“Somerset is a key industrial region for the UK, supporting the nation with its capability in high value manufacturing, construction, defence, low carbon energy and food production industries. We have a £14bn GDP economy with businesses ready to drive forward and grow, creating employment opportunities for our residents.”

“Our region has a new nuclear power station in development at Hinkley Point C, vital for the UK’s energy infrastructure. We’re also seeing a £4bn investment by Agratas to create a unique battery cell manufacturing facility. Both of these key projects, relevant to the UK’s competitiveness and Industrial Strategy, need vital skills.”

“This DWP decision is blocking economic growth and prosperity in Somerset, which is unacceptable.”

The Chamber is now lobbying MPs and Ministers in the DWP, pressing for an urgent review of the funding methodology.

Read the full Somerset Chamber statement: https://www.somerset-chamber.co.uk/news/chamber-news/somerset-chamber-launches-campaign-to-save-funding-for-skills-bootcamps/

Parliamentary Questions Submitted

Alongside the work we’re doing with Yeovil College and the Chamber, I’ve raised this directly with our local MP, Adam Dance. He has submitted formal questions to Parliament:

“What assessment has [the Secretary of State] made of the potential impact of the discontinuation of the Skills Bootcamps programme on upskilling and retraining individuals in Somerset for 2026-27?”

“What assessment has [the Secretary of State] made of the potential impact on AI and automation training in Somerset for 2026-27?”

These questions put the DWP on record and demand accountability for the impact of their decisions.

What We’re Doing About It

Do not fear. We still have a mission to fulfil, and we have a massive community of learners that want to learn. The Government has exacerbated that by cutting off any chance they could have access to funded learning, growth and development.

So what are we going to do to overcome this?

Working with partners: We’re already working with Yeovil College to see how else we can accommodate learners. We’re also working with other providers, Innovate UK, tech clusters and more to make sure we are everywhere, so people know where to find us. We’re pushing hard for contracts in Wiltshire, we have expressions of interest with WECA (West of England Combined Authority) and Devon, and we’re monitoring other opportunities.

Private business training: We’re working directly with businesses, bringing the training in-house and direct to teams across the county and further afield.

Online courses: We have our hugely successful online course for Generative AI, which is not only CPD regulated but contains 20 hours of content used in our Bootcamps and is made to be accessible to all.

New courses coming: Knowing the success of our online course, and now the huge demand for businesses wanting to learn automation too, as one door closes for us, another will open. All the months of work we’ve put into the Automation course will be distilled into multiple online courses for Power Automate, Vibe Coding, 3rd Party Automations and more.

We’ll also offer lighter courses alongside our in-person training, digital mentoring, online resources, news, podcasts, events, webinars, and more.

Whilst we could dwell and be disappointed by the let-down the Government and DWP have dealt, we will not let it get us down. We have a mission, and we are going to live it.

How You Can Help

If you’ve completed a Skills Bootcamp, if your business has benefited from one, or if you were hoping to attend one in the future, we need your voice.

Write a letter of support. A short note explaining what you learned (or hoped to learn), how you applied it (or planned to), and why this training matters locally. That’s it. No commitment, just evidence that these programmes change lives.

Use our free AI tool. We’ve built a tool that helps anyone write a personalised letter of support in minutes. No staring at a blank page. Just answer a few questions about your experience, and the tool drafts a clear, compelling letter you can share.

👉 https://tsrs.uk/save-southwest-skills

Share your letter:

Spread the word. Tag someone you know who’s been through a bootcamp. Share this article. The more people who speak up, the harder it is for decision-makers to ignore us.

The Bottom Line

The DWP has made a decision that punishes success, ignores future demand, and threatens proven programmes that connect real people with real jobs. They’ve taken £80 million out of skills training nationally, stripped £9 million from the South West alone, and reduced Somerset’s capacity from 1,100+ learners to just 380.

For Techosaurus specifically, our allocation has been cut by over 90%. We have 50+ people on waiting lists we cannot serve. Our Automation Bootcamp cohort will be the first and last.

We can’t reverse this decision on our own. But we can make sure they hear from the people it affects. We can build an evidence base so compelling that it becomes impossible to ignore. And we can show decision-makers what’s really at stake.

Your voice matters. Use it.

#SaveSkillsSouthWest

Scott Quilter FBCS is Co-Founder and Chief AI & Innovation Officer at Techosaurus LTD, an award-winning EdTech company delivering AI and Automation training across the South West. Techosaurus was named EdTech Provider of the Year (Southwest) and Business of the Year for Best Use of Technology (Somerset) in 2025.