Government to introduce AI summer boot camps to tackle youth unemployment
Up to 70 young people aged between 16 and 21 from the North West will be involved in the “first-of-its-kind” scheme
Young people will be offered “the skills they need to thrive in the AI workplace” as the Government introduces a “first-of-its-kind” summer bootcamp as part of efforts to tackle youth unemployment.
The announcement comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham last month said he is “on a mission” to stop the rise in the number of 16-24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
The latest data, published in May, showed the number of young people aged 16-24 who are neither working nor learning surpassed one million for the first time since 2013, reaching 1.01 million in the three months from January to March.
Up to 70 young people aged between 16 and 21 will be recruited to take part in the pilot bootcamp in the North West.
The Government said the programme will involve three weeks of AI (artificial intelligence) and workplace skills training.
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Participants will learn how to build AI tools and understand how businesses use AI, alongside developing key workplace skills such as communication.
They could then be offered the opportunity to start apprenticeships at organisations including JD Sports and Heinz, after applying and interviewing with employers.
Results from the small pilot are expected to help inform a wider package of vocational tech training across England from summer 2027 for young people.
Digital Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “This first of its kind AI bootcamp will support young people at a crucial juncture in their lives, connecting them with great training and career opportunities at the heart of their local communities.”
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said: “This is a huge opportunity that will directly benefit young people across the country.”
The scheme follows an interim report by former Labour minister Alan Milburn, also published in May, which warned the figure could rise to one in six by 2031 and that Britain risks leaving behind a “lost generation” of young people ill-prepared for work.
Mr Burnham last month committed to cutting the number of NEETs, but declined to put a target deadline on it.