EdTech UK Skills Bootcamp Platform — Department for Education

Provider Platform Architecture

• Skills Bootcamp multi-provider: 280 training providers each deliver bootcamps in different subjects (Data, Cyber Security, AI, Construction Technology, HGV).
• Multi-tenancy: (1) provider portal (each of 280 providers has their own branded portal — PostgreSQL RLS isolates provider data), (2) learner portal (learner registers, applies to bootcamp, tracks progress), (3) employer portal (employer sponsors learner co-contribution — 30% for SME, 70% for large employer), (4) DfE admin (cross-provider analytics, funding disbursement, audit).

ESFA funding model

Skills Bootcamp funding = total cost × government contribution % (

SME employer

• government pays 70%, employer pays 30%).
• GOV.

UK Pay

employer co-contribution collected at enrolment.

ESFA Funding Automation

ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency)

Skills Bootcamp funding rules

payment by results (provider is paid when learner starts, when learner completes, and when learner gains employment).

Payment triggers

• 1Starts payment (learner starts bootcamp — provider submits start claim, ESFA pays 60% of course value),
• 2Achievement payment (learner completes bootcamp — provider submits achievement evidence, ESFA pays remaining 40%),
• 3Employment outcome payment (learner gains relevant employment within 6 months — provider submits employment evidence — additional ESFA payment).

Automated claim generation

learner milestone → claim generated → ESFA submission queue → ESFA ILR submission (F/ILR/2425/1 schema).

ESFA audit

• payment evidence retained for 6 years (ESFA audit requirement).
• Employer Partnership and Co-

Funding Workflow

Employer co-funding is a distinctive feature of

Skills Bootcamps

employers pay 30% (SME) or 70% (large employer) of bootcamp cost.

Employer journey

• 1employer registers (Companies House verification — confirm employer size),
• 2employer nominates learner (existing employee upskilling or new hire commitment),
• 3employer pays contribution (GOV.UK Pay),
• 4employer confirms employment (post-bootcamp — triggers outcome payment). Employer-learner linking: employer confirms employment of bootcamp graduate → outcome payment to provider.

HMRC verification

PAYE reference number verified (HMRC PAYE API — confirm employer is registered employer).

NDA level

employer contact details — UK GDPR Article 6(1)(b) contract performance (employer entered co-funding agreement).

DfE Analytics and Ministerial Reporting

DfE requires real-time analytics on Skills Bootcamp outcomes for ministerial briefing.

Analytics

• 1learner starts (weekly — target 84,000 by March 2027),
• 2completions (completion rate by subject, provider, region),
• 3employment outcomes (employment within 6 months — primary DfE outcome measure),
• 4salary uplift (average salary before and after bootcamp — DfE economic impact measure),
• 5diversity (age, gender, ethnicity, disability — DfE equality outcome),
• 6provider performance (completion rate, employment rate per provider — feeds into contract renewal decisions).

Ministerial dashboard

• AWS QuickSight (secured to DfE network — OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE data classification — data not in public-facing service).
• STATS19-style weekly return: automated from platform data.