Unemployed young people to join AI boot camps to get job-ready

The UK government has launched a pilot programme of “AI boot camps” designed to help unemployed young people gain workplace skills through artificial intelligence. The initiative, starting in north-west England, will offer up to 70 people aged 16 to 21 three weeks of training in building AI tools, understanding business use of AI, and responsible technology adoption. Participants will also receive instruction in office IT systems and timekeeping as part of the workplace-readiness curriculum.

The scheme is the latest response to a growing crisis among “Neets” – young people not in work or education. Official data published in May showed that the number of 16- to 24-year-olds neither working nor learning surpassed 1 million for the first time since 2013, reaching 1.01 million in the January-to-March period. An interim report by former Labour minister Alan Milburn warned that the figure could rise to one in six by 2031, risking a “lost generation” ill-prepared for employment.

The boot camp will use AI tools from Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic, and aims to place most attendees in apprenticeships with local businesses, including BAE Systems and Heinz. Digital, culture, media and sport secretary Lisa Nandy said the scheme would “support young people at a crucial juncture in their lives”. The pilot will inform a nationwide AI skills programme scheduled to roll out next summer.

Experts have offered cautious support. Bouke Klein Teeselink, an AI and work researcher at King’s College London, called it a “good idea in principle”, noting that making juniors more productive with AI could boost their appeal to employers. However, he expressed scepticism that three weeks would be enough to make teens truly “AI-ready”, as the field demands continuous learning.

Fears about AI’s impact on jobs have centred on school leavers and graduates because AI tools are capable of performing the “grunt work” traditionally assigned to newcomers. Stanford University this week reported a decline in employment of young workers in AI-exposed occupations such as software engineering and customer service. UK AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the programme would give young people “the skills they need to thrive in the AI workplace”.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has committed to reducing the number of Neets but has not set a specific deadline. The boot camp’s success will be measured by apprentice placements, with the government betting that early AI skills can turn a perceived threat into an opportunity for a vulnerable generation.

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