TechFirst AI Apprenticeship Pathway

Young people in Lancashire who are out of work, or are at risk of entering unemployment after leaving school, are benefitting from a first of its kind AI bootcamp programme.

Called TechFirst AI Apprenticeship Pathway, the first wave of participants in a north west pilot includes young people from Blackburn, Blackpool and other towns in and around Lancashire.

Over a three-week period, they will undertake AI and workplace skills training; learning to build AI tools, experience how businesses use AI, and learn how to use AI responsibly with human oversight and safeguards. They will also understand how to work under pressure, how to problem-solve in workplace environments, and the importance of teamwork.

Funded by government, and being delivered by the IN4 Group, the AI pathway is working in partnership with businesses and public sector organisations to make AI training and career development work for young people today.

At the end of the programme, businesses and public sector organisations around the North West, including JD Sports, Heinz, and local SMEs, will have apprenticeships on offer to help people move into employment.

CEO of IN4 Group, Mo Isap OBE, who is also chair of the Lancashire Business Board,  said: “Too many young people are leaving school without a clear route into the opportunities AI is creating. If we’re serious about tackling youth unemployment, we have to rethink how young people move from education into work by creating pathways that connect talent with paid careers.”

AI Minister Kaniskha Narayan said: “This is a huge opportunity that will directly benefit young people across the country. This new scheme is about giving them the skills they need to thrive in the AI workplace, and build careers in some of our most exciting industries.”

The north west pilot – which will inform an England-wide AI skills and early careers scheme set to roll out next summer – is part of the government’s mission to raise the profile of technical education and create opportunities across the UK.

It further builds on the initial work of the £200m TechFirst skills programme which since being announced in summer 2025 has reached over 100,000 young people.

You can read more about the TechFirst AI Apprenticeship Pathway here.