West Midlands Combined Authority has renewed its Skills Boot Camp contract with iMeta Training to deliver five fully funded digital skills programmes covering IT infrastructure, data analytics, cyber security, digital leadership and management, and practical AI for business. The renewal follows a recent extension to iMeta's data boot camp contract and expands the provider's role in the West Midlands' digital skills agenda.

iMeta Training is a Birmingham-based online digital skills provider, founded in 2018 by Mohammed Zur, and funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Department for Education to deliver fully funded training for West Midlands residents aged 19 and over. The company has seen strong demand for data skills from both learners and employers, with learners progressing into roles at organisations including Mercedes-Benz, Network Rail, Capgemini and the UK Civil Service. Revenue and EBITDA are not publicly disclosed.

The structural driver is the West Midlands' documented digital skills deficit, estimated at 280,000 people short of national benchmarks, against Mayor Richard Parker's commitment to establishing the West Midlands as the UK's leading place for AI skills training. Research from the University of Birmingham quantifies the national cost of digital skills shortages at £27.6 billion by 2030. The renewal of iMeta's contract across five technical disciplines, rather than a single specialism, reflects the WMCA's recognition that the digital skills deficit is broad-based across infrastructure, data, cyber security and applied AI simultaneously.

iMeta's outcomes-led approach embeds practical digital and AI skills into funded training, with courses targeting employer-recognised certifications including CompTIA A+ and Power BI qualifications alongside progression and employer engagement support after completion.

For the sector, iMeta's sustained WMCA contract renewal confirms that agile, employer-aligned regional training providers are winning repeat public sector mandates in digital skills at the expense of larger generalist providers with less granular regional employer intelligence.

Source: itbrief.co.uk / imetatraining.co.uk / fenews.co.uk / wmca.org.uk