The UK’s tech industry is booming. With countless new tech roles becoming available every month, this wide and resilient sector is alive with career potential. The even better news is that there is no one type of tech person. In fact, it’s an increasingly diverse, vibrant, and in-demand sector, entered into by people whom you might not expect. People just like you.
QA's Digital Skills Bootcamps, part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs have one shared goal: To give people – regardless of their background or level of knowledge – the opportunity to build new digital skills and secure a fast-track route to an interview with a local employer. It’s that simple.
Our courses will put you through your paces, equipping you with the key digital skills the world's leading organisations covet so highly. You will gain knowledge up to a standard that would allow entry onto a Level 4 Apprenticeship or similar level employment opportunities.
How do QA's Digital Skills Bootcamps work?
- Skills Bootcamps are fully funded by the Department for Education, so for you they are completely free
- You must be aged 19 or over to attend
- These bootcamps are only available to everyone in England, and you must have been living in England for at least three years
- They are full-time, taking place over 12 weeks
- Delivered live by our training experts using QA’s virtual classroom technology
- You will gain industry-recognised accreditation as evidence of your newly acquired skills
- Our outplacement and engagement team will be there throughout and after the Bootcamp to support you in securing job interviews
What will I be doing each week?
Week 1: Induction
You’ll get a thorough induction onto the programme, introducing you to the core platforms you will be using and introducing you to key members of the bootcamp team.
- 4 hours of digital content on BUD – to help familiarise yourself with the platform and engage with some content
- 1 x group session with your Learning Support Officer – introductions
- 1 x tech support session – troubleshooting any issues of questions with BUD
Week 2: Digital Foundations
Each Bootcamp shares the same core content. Starting with Digital Foundations, you will learn the foundational skills and knowledge that are vital for gaining a career in technology:
- Networks and operating systems
- Introduction to DevOps
- Application deployment
- The Web Protocols
Once you have the fundamentals, you will begin a deep dive into your chosen specialism
Weeks 3 and 4: Specialism-specific Modules
In weeks 3 and 4 you’ll cover key topics relating to your specific bootcamp specialism (for example Data, Cloud, Software Testing or Software Development)
Each week you will have:
- 2 x 3hr live trainer sessions
- 20 hrs digital learning lessons
- 1 x research project
- 2 x 1hr hosted group discussion sessions
Week 5: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
You have the option of taking an exam at the end of this module – to gain a professional, industry-recognised Microsoft certification
Week 6 and 7: Digital Skills for Life
2 weeks of the Bootcamp are dedicated to employability skills. In the Digital Skills for Life weeks of the course you will be working on:
- Preparing high-quality CVs
- Communication skills
- Presenting yourself effectively
Plus, we will be introducing you to a number of tech employers who are actively looking to recruit entry-level tech talent.
Week 8, 9 & 10: Specialism-specific Modules
Weeks 8, 9 and 10 will also be dedicated to your chosen bootcamp specialism.
Week 11 - 12
These weeks are dedicated to supporting you to find a role where you can put your newly acquired tech skills to work. You will attend 1-on-1 job support sessions with our Learning Support Officers.
What will I be learning?
Data Utilisation and Analysis Level 4
Data engineers are the secret heroes behind major, progressive organisations. From digital powerhouses like Facebook, Airbnb and Amazon to global banks and major superstores, the world’s leading companies rely on skilled data engineers to help them sustain and evolve. Data engineers make sure all data is clean, reliable, and ready for a variety of business-critical uses.
On the Data Utilisation and Analysis Digital Skills Bootcamp, you’ll be learning everything you need to start a career in Data, including engaging modules on:
- Data structures and database system design including Python
- Data storage and security
- Data modelling and analysis
- Data Storytelling and visualisation techniques
- AI, Automation, and emerging/sustainable data technologies
Software Developer Level 3/Level 4
You know the trusty online banking app you check every day and those streaming services where you can binge the latest season of your favourite show? Software developers created all of them. Developers are the people who write the back-end code needed to make computer programmes run, working collaboratively as part of high-energy teams.
We are offering two different levels for the Software Development Digital Skills Bootcamp, so you can pick the level that best suits you. On the Digital Skills Bootcamps Software Developer Levels 3 and 4 you’ll be learning everything you need to start a career in software development, including engaging modules on:
Software Developer Level 3:
- Basic principles of software design
- Software testing frameworks and methodologies
- Python
- Linking Python apps to SQL databases
- HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Software Developer Level 4:
Please note: to apply for this higher level you must already have some experience with coding (in a language such as Python) and software development.
- Basic principles of software design
- Software testing frameworks and methodologies
- The Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
- Planning and delivering projects through Agile Scrum
- Working in a CI/CD environment
Software Tester
To ensure that software created by developers is running as it should be, software testing is crucially important. As a software tester you would be checking the security of applications by testing their vulnerability to attacks, looking for bugs or errors, and making sure products are of high quality and fit for purpose. By determining the quality of the software, you can guarantee that end users are completely satisfied. Please note that this Bootcamp does not cover any coding languages - you don’t actually need to know any coding in order to be a Software Tester!
On the Software Tester Digital Skills Bootcamp, you’ll be learning everything you need to start a career in Software Testing, including engaging modules on:
- Fundamental principles of testing
- Static testing and the review process
- Agile testing and the SDLC
- Test automation
- Black box, White box, and Experience-based Test Techniques
ICT Cloud Level 3
Digital transformation efforts using Cloud technologies have driven enterprises in all industries toward DevOps and agile methodologies with a lot of big companies such as Amazon, HP, Etsy, Netflix and Adobe using DevOps to undergo a serious culture shift.
DevOps (combining the words ‘development’ and ‘operations’) is all about removing the barriers between the development and operations teams. This improves collaboration and productivity by automating infrastructure, workflow, and continuously measuring application performance using the Cloud.
On the ICT Cloud Digital Skills Bootcamp, you’ll be learning everything you need to start a career in IT support, including engaging modules on:
- Core technologies of major cloud providers (Azure, AWS, and GCP)
- Servers, applications, and network architectures.
- Network and Cloud security
- The principles of APIs and Web Services
- DevOps tools and culture
When you complete your Digital Skills Bootcamp, you’ll get:
Industry-recognised accreditation – depending on your pathway, you’ll earn certification from Microsoft Azure, AWS, GCP, PeopleCert and/or SFIA to seriously boost your employability prospects.
Support from our Outplacement and Engagement team, who'll work with you to secure job interviews and local technical roles.
Exclusive 12-months’ access to QA’s Cloud Academy platform with hands-on labs, learning paths, courses and quizzes – so your skills development can continue beyond the virtual classroom.
12 months’ BCS membership (The Chartered Institute for IT), with access to career mentoring, plus a 12-month discount to 5,000+ Microsoft and PeopleCert certifications.
Bootcamps success stories
"My experience during my bootcamp was really great. My tutor and the people that I was learning with were all friendly. They had a great work ethic and that made me even more motivated for the course. After the bootcamp, I received emails from QA offering me different roles within cyber security as well as other IT fields. I ended up choosing to come and work for QA after speaking to the team as I felt that it would be an exciting and rewarding role for me. Now I am a recruitment consultant and currently waiting to start my apprenticeship in Data Analysis."
"After completing an art degree amidst the pandemic, I became interested in technology as an intriguing and rapidly evolving field to work in. I wanted to be part of creating and designing the kinds of software that I use every day, so I took a self-led course in front end development before learning about QA’s Bootcamps through The National Careers service. I found the bootcamp to be intense and challenging but so fun and interesting, and I met so many lovely people - some of who I now of course work with!"
How do I enrol for a Digital Skills Bootcamp?
It goes without saying that we're only looking for candidates who can commit themselves 100% to completing their 12-week Digital Skills Bootcamp.
We are looking for people with a genuine willingness to learn new skills and an interest in working in the technology sector.
There are three simple steps:
- Apply via our Digital Skills Bootcamp form below
- We will set you up with some initial assessments to test your eligibility for the bootcamps
- Finally, you will speak to one of our team members – we will discuss the specific course you are interested in, and your career goals and motivations
You must be aged 19 or over, have the right to work in the UK and have lived in England for at least 3 years prior to the start of the programme.
Looking to enrol people from your organisation on a Digital Skills Bootcamp?
Great! All you need to do is get in touch with kiera.evans@qa.com and we’ll be in touch shortly with next steps.