UK Launches AI Boot Camps to Help Unemployed Young People Gain Workplace Skills

A pilot scheme in north-west England will provide up to 70 people aged 16 to 21 with three weeks of AI training, including building AI tools, understanding how businesses use AI, and learning to use the technology responsibly. Participants will also receive workplace skills training, such as using office IT systems and timekeeping. The government hopes the majority of attendees will secure apprenticeships at local businesses that have signed up, including defence firm BAE Systems and food company Heinz.

Lisa Nandy, the digital, culture, media and sport secretary, said the scheme would support young people at a crucial juncture in their lives. The pilot will be used to refine an England-wide AI skills scheme due to roll out next summer. The boot camp will use AI tools from US tech firms including Microsoft, ChatGPT developer OpenAI, and Anthropic, the startup behind the Claude chatbot.