Skills England Launches AI Apprenticeship to Upskill Workers

Skills England is launching an AI and automation practitioner apprenticeship, which has been created to help businesses boost productivity and encourage safe and responsible use of new technologies. 

Designed to upskill workers across a range of business sectors, apprentices will learn to identify where AI and automation can save time, reduce costs and improve performance by solving real-world problems. 

Pat McFadden, Work and Pensions Secretary, says: “Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming our economy, and I am determined that young people across the country are equipped to seize the opportunities it brings.

“That means investing in the skills and training that will define the jobs of the future.”

AI upskilling to improve business competitiveness

According to the UK Government, this level four apprenticeship – equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree – will be available to employers across all sectors in the UK. 

Apprentices on the programme will be taught how to protect sensitive data, avoid bias and comply with regulatory requirements, while also learning to manage problems that are slowing down businesses such as duplicated data entry or streamlining manual processes. 

Projections from the government suggest that the number of jobs directly involving AI activities could rise from 158,000 in 2024 to 3.9 million by 2035. 

Advancements in innovation and workplace productivity through AI upskilling could also lead to a £400bn (US$532bn) boost to the UK economy by 2030.

Pat says: “Through our apprenticeship reforms, we are creating genuine pathways into the high-skilled, high-growth industries that AI is creating – so that a young person’s chances are not determined by their background or where they grew up. 

“The fourth industrial revolution is already under way – our job is to make sure Britain is ready for it.”

Foundational AI training

This apprenticeship programme follows the UK Government’s announcement of foundational AI training courses in January, which aims to create more high-skilled jobs as workers are freed up from routine tasks. 

The UK Government has said it hopes to upskill 10 million people in order to make Britain the G7 country adopting AI the fastest. 

Since June, this training – designed to give workers and employers confidence when developing AI skills – has already delivered one million courses.

Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, says: “We want AI to work for Britain, and that means ensuring Britons can work with AI.

“Change is inevitable, but the consequences of change are not. We will protect people from the risks of AI while ensuring everyone can share in its benefits.

“That starts with giving people the skills and confidence they need to seize the opportunities AI brings, putting the power and control into their hands.”

Driving youth employment

Improving the number of people upskilled in AI may increase employment levels as the need for AI skills in a business environment increases. 

According to the Office for National Statistics, around one in eight young people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training. 

Apprenticeship starts among young people are also down 40%, according to the UK Government, with many business leaders believing young people are facing a more challenging working environment. 

Juan C Andrade, CEO of USAA, told Fortune: “I think, unfortunately, our Gen Zs are not going to be as well off as our boomers and Gen Xers were, for different reasons.

“You definitely see it among the Gen Z generation, both active duty as well as associate members [and] family.”