The UK government is piloting AI boot camps for unemployed young people and those at risk of unemployment, aiming to help them enter apprenticeships and work. The initiative reflects growing concern about more than one million 16- to 24-year-olds being outside both employment and education, while AI is simultaneously seen as a possible threat to entry-level jobs.

Up to 70 people aged 16 to 21 in north-west England will receive three weeks’ training in building and using AI tools responsibly, alongside workplace basics such as office IT and timekeeping. Participating employers include BAE Systems and Heinz, and the pilot will inform a planned England-wide scheme next summer; however, an AI-work expert warned that sustained learning, not a short course, is needed for genuine AI readiness.