Unfilled vacancies are holding back local businesses – and Yorkshire’s Combined Authorities are offering free training, guaranteed interviews and flexible bootcamps to solve it.
Whether it’s a shortage of coders in Leeds, a demand for green energy engineers on the Humber or a need for senior carers in York, businesses across the region are crying out for staff.
For most adults looking to switch careers, the barrier isn’t a lack of ambition – it’s the cost of retraining and the inability to take time off work without a salary.
This is our guide for adults across Yorkshire who want to upskill or change careers without taking on tuition debt. Through devolved funding pots like the Adult Skills Fund and Skills Bootcamps, Yorkshire’s Combined Authorities are covering 100% of course fees for eligible residents.
Here is a regional breakdown of where the job gaps are right now across Yorkshire – and how you can retrain for free to fill them.
West Yorkshire: Tech, transit and construction
Credit: WYCA
The hiring gaps: Construction, engineering, digital/IT, early years education, logistics, and public transport (including bus drivers for the expanding regional transit network).
The free retraining route: West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is heavily investing in training courses which include Targeted Employment Programmes (TEPs) and flexible Skills Bootcamps.
What’s in it for employers: TEPs are co-designed directly with local businesses to fill active vacancies. Employers get access to job-ready candidates who already hold the necessary licences to practise, cutting recruitment costs and onboarding time.
“It gave me time with my family – and a brand new career”
For Sam, a former postman from West Yorkshire, retraining wasn’t an option unless it worked around his income and his young family.
He enrolled in an evening software development bootcamp to learn coding. Because the classes took place outside of standard working hours, he kept his full-time postal job throughout the training.
“The boot camp sessions were delivered in the evening, which meant I could keep my full-time work as a postman going. I would almost certainly not have been able to do this if I wasn’t able to keep the income going, what with having a young family.”
Today, Sam works full-time as a DevOps engineer.
Find out more: Search the interactive map on WYCA’s website to find local providers and the subjects they offer in West Yorkshire.
South Yorkshire: Health, green tech and advanced manufacturing
Credit: SYMCA
The hiring gaps: Health and social care, education support, hospitality and high-skilled roles in advanced manufacturing, clean tech and low-carbon industries.
The funded retraining route: South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) funds up to 16-week Skills Bootcamps and adult education courses through local training providers. They also run Pathways to Work, a scheme specifically designed for adults facing health challenges or returning from redundancy.
What’s in it for employers: SYMCA acts as a free recruitment pipeline for local firms, connecting delivery partners directly to businesses that have committed to interviewing graduates.
Rather than funding generic qualifications, SYMCA’s strategy is strictly tied to real-world labour demand. Courses span technical subjects like green construction, creative media and digital IT, alongside vital public sector roles like adult care and school support.
If you are currently out of work or looking to step up into management within hospitality or retail, these fully funded fast-track routes are designed to remove the traditional recruitment fees and jump you straight into an interview room.
Find out more: You can find all the information you need about retraining opportunities in South Yorkshire on SYMCA’s website.
York & North Yorkshire: Social care, engineering and green energy
Credit: YNYCA
The hiring gaps: Clean energy, life sciences, health and social care, rail innovation and creative industries.
The free retraining route: Over 400 learners have already progressed through York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Skills Bootcamps (up to 16 weeks long) and Free Courses for Jobs initiatives.
What’s in it for employers: Free, specialist consultancy through The Employer Support Programme. The authority funds seven expert providers to help local businesses overhaul their hiring practices, adapt their workplaces, and successfully recruit from a wider talent pool.
“We need to give people the tools they need to progress in their careers and reach their full potential. Whether you want to gain confidence in everyday skills like maths, step up into a senior role or change direction entirely, these courses are designed around you. Seeing learners take control of their futures shows the true power of adult learning.”
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.
“I wanted to better myself all round”
The funding isn’t just for 20-somethings starting out, it’s designed to help people change or develop their careers at any age.
Natalie Johnson from Skipton started taking weekly maths classes at her local library to boost her confidence and her CV: “I had my son when I was younger, so I’m picking up my career now. I hope it will be a step in the right direction to get a better job, a better career and just better myself all round.”
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Hana Smith from York used a free Level 3 course to step up from a basic care role into a senior carer position: “I really enjoy working in healthcare, and I wanted to progress. To anyone thinking of doing a course, I’d say go for it.”
Find out more: Visit York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s website to view commissioned local providers.
Hull & East Yorkshire: The green industrial estuary
The hiring gaps: Offshore wind and renewables, advanced manufacturing, ports and logistics, agri-food tech and healthcare.
The free retraining route: Backed by £16m in annual Adult Skills Funding and the new Get Hull and East Yorkshire Working plan, Mayor Luke Campbell’s administration is deploying targeted Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) and technical bootcamps.
What’s in it for employers: Training programmes are aligned directly with the Humber Economic Strategy. Major industrial and green-tech employers get a tailor-made pipeline of local talent upskilled specifically for the region’s expanding supply chains.
As the newest Combined Authority in the region, Hull and East Yorkshire’s Local Growth Plan places a unique emphasis on health and retraining. With 26,300 residents currently not working because of long-term sickness, the authority is joining up health services, occupational support, and free skills training to help people ease back into sustainable work.
Major site regenerations – such as the revitalisation of Goole College focused on green energy specialisms – are ensuring that local people are considered first for the high-paying engineering and green-tech jobs flooding into the Humber.
Find out more: Keep an eye on the newly formed Hull & East Yorkshire Combined Authority skills desk.
How to apply: 3 steps to retrain for free
Credit: WYCA
1. Check your eligibility: Most courses are fully funded if you are aged 19+, live in the relevant Combined Authority area, and are either unemployed, earning below the regional low-wage threshold, or looking to upskill into a sector shortage.
2. Choose your learning style: If you need to keep your current job to pay the bills, ask specifically for evening, weekend or hybrid Skills Bootcamps.
3. Claim your interview: Make sure the course you choose includes an employer-backed guaranteed interview or a licence-to-practise module so you can transition into work immediately.
Please note: Course availability, local wage thresholds and specific provider intake dates are subject to change. Always verify eligibility directly with the Combined Authority or training provider upon applying. Cover image credit: SYMCA
