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UK to offer three-week AI boot camps for unemployed youth
The pilot in northwest England targets up to 70 people aged 16 to 21, with the government aiming most participants to secure apprenticeships at local firms including BAE Systems and Heinz.
The UK government is launching AI boot camps to help unemployed youth and young people at risk of unemployment, addressing the wider Neets issue, where people are not in work or education. The pilot will run in northwest England and provide up to 70 participants aged 16 to 21 with three weeks of training focused on building AI tools, business use of AI, and responsible use of the technology.
The programme will also include workplace skills training such as using office IT systems and learning timekeeping. The government’s goal is for most attendees to move into apprenticeships at local businesses that have signed up to participate, including defence firm BAE Systems and food company Heinz.
England’s digital, culture, media and sport secretary Lisa Nandy said the scheme is meant to support young people at a crucial point in their lives. The pilot is intended to shape a broader England-wide AI skills programme due to roll out next summer.
The boot camp will use AI tools from US technology firms, including Microsoft, the ChatGPT developer OpenAI, and Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot. A researcher at King’s College London said the idea is sound in principle but questioned whether three weeks is sufficient for participants to be AI-ready, given that staying current requires ongoing learning.