‘Really helpful’: the AI bootcamps aimed at addressing UK youth unemployment
Guardian AU Business
•Sun, 13 Sep 2026 09:00:04 GMT
📰 What Happened
A pilot AI bootcamp in Preston is training 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training, known as Neet. Five attenders work on laptops at a community hub called the Vault, learning how data affects AI models. The three-week course is open to 70 young people. At the end, firms such as JD Sports, Heinz and Agilysys offer AI apprenticeships.
🔍 The Backstory
Nearly a million young people in the UK are Neet, just over one in 10 in that age group. The scheme is run in the north-west of England by IN4 Group under a government contract. One attender, 18-year-old Khudeija Rafique, said the skills would help with whatever job she goes into. There are two apprenticeship types: AI marketing and AI-skilled IT helpdesk roles.
🎯 Why It Matters
Training young people to use AI turns a possible threat to jobs into a chance at work. For a teenager leaving school, a paid AI apprenticeship is a real first step.
A pilot AI bootcamp in Preston is training 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training, known as Neet. Five attenders work on laptops at a community hub called the Vault, learning how data affects AI models. The three-week course is open to 70 young people. At the end, firms such as JD Sports, Heinz and Agilysys offer AI apprenticeships.
Nearly a million young people in the UK are Neet, just over one in 10 in that age group. The scheme is run in the north-west of England by IN4 Group under a government contract. One attender, 18-year-old Khudeija Rafique, said the skills would help with whatever job she goes into. There are two apprenticeship types: AI marketing and AI-skilled IT helpdesk roles.
Training young people to use AI turns a possible threat to jobs into a chance at work. For a teenager leaving school, a paid AI apprenticeship is a real first step.