Help Shape the UK's First National AI Apprenticeship Standard

Every week we talk to businesses who've invested in AI and automation tools but can't find people with the right skills to use them effectively. It's not just about technical knowledge - it's about understanding how to make these tools work safely and practically in real business settings.

That's why we're leading a national initiative with Skills England and the Department for Education to create the UK's first AI and Automation Apprenticeship Standard. This isn't just another training program - it's a chance to define how UK businesses will build their AI capabilities for years to come.

And we need your input to get it right.

Practical Skills for Real Business Impact

We've seen how much time and money gets wasted when businesses try to bring in AI without the right skills in-house. Teams end up with expensive tools they barely use, or quick fixes that create more problems than they solve.

This apprenticeship focuses on developing people who can spot these everyday challenges and fix them properly. They'll learn to:

• Map out real business processes and find the bottlenecks that slow teams down
• Choose the right tools for each job, whether that's Zapier, Power Automate, or whatever comes next
• Build reliable automations that connect your existing systems and save hours of manual work
• Use AI safely and ethically to handle admin tasks and support better decisions
• Get teams on board with new ways of working so improvements stick

This isn't about creating data scientists or AI researchers. It's about developing practical problem-solvers who can make these technologies work in real business settings. And because you know these challenges better than anyone, your input now will help shape exactly what skills these apprentices develop.

Building on What Works

Over the past few years, we've helped dozens of businesses bring AI and automation into their teams through our existing apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps. One manufacturing client saved 20 hours a week by automating their order processing. A services business cut report preparation time from days to hours. But we've also seen what happens when these projects go wrong - from abandoned chatbots to automation workflows that created more problems than they solved.

This mix of successes and lessons learned is why we're leading this national trailblazer group. We know what skills make the difference between a quick fix and lasting change. But we also know every business is different. That's why we're designing this standard to work across sectors and company sizes, while staying focused on delivering real results.

The key is getting input from businesses like yours - the ones dealing with these challenges every day.

Your Business, Your Standard

Right now, we're mapping out exactly what skills and knowledge these apprentices need to deliver results in real businesses. This is the critical stage where your input can make the difference between a standard that works on paper and one that transforms how UK businesses use AI.

Getting involved is straightforward:

• Share your automation challenges and what skills would help solve them
• Review draft standards to ensure they match your business needs
• Choose your level of involvement - from quick feedback to joining the trailblazer group
• Help shape assessment methods that prove apprentices can deliver real results

The standard will be finalised in the next few months, so now is the time to ensure it works for businesses like yours. Register your interest by filling out our quick form - it takes just 30 seconds to complete and lets us know you'd like to stay informed about opportunities to contribute.

This is more than just another training program - it's about building the capabilities UK businesses need to thrive in an AI-powered world. Let's get it right.