As the Prime Minister looks to artificial intelligence (AI) as the "defining opportunity" of our generation - vowing to make the UK a world-leading powerhouse - we are shining a spotlight on what’s needed to enable this ambitious strategy: data & AI apprenticeships.   

Today, the UK ranks among the least confident countries in implementing AI technology, with over two-thirds (68%) of IT leaders citing “insufficient skills and expertise” as the primary barrier for rolling out AI initiatives. 

New AI developments and products could be truly game-changing, but without appropriate training to upskill the workforce, their value cannot be realised. And the Government agrees. In its response to the ‘The AI Opportunities Action Plan’, it says, “Creating a strong talent pipeline and ensuring we address wider skills demands will be critical to realising our AI ambitions,” and nearly a fifth of the recommendations relate to developing AI talent in the UK.

So, what’s the best way to upskill your workforce?

Led by expert lecturers and technical mentors, and blending academic learning with real-world experience, we believe there is no better path to upskill your team than an apprenticeship. And again, the Government agrees. It says:

“Apprenticeships change lives. The sector plays a pivotal role not just in powering our economy but also helping people realise their ambitions. Apprenticeships are a core part of the government’s skills agenda and integral to growing the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunity right across the country.” 

When we look at the data, apprenticeships continue to grow in popularity as a way to build future skills, with 79% of learners opting for ‘advanced’ or ‘higher’ apprenticeship programmes. And with 90% of apprentices staying at their company after completing their programme, it’s a smart way to train your talent with skills that remain relevant to their role.

But exactly how relevant are apprenticeships to the data & AI industry, how can you take advantage, and what benefits can your organisation expect to realise?

The Relevance of Apprenticeships to the Data & AI Industry

Organisations may create huge volumes of data, but until they have the skills needed to transform it into valuable insights, it’s worthless. Additionally, the explosion of AI in recent years has left many companies struggling to keep up - and with the AI market projected to grow at a rate of 27.67% until 2030, that challenge isn’t going away any time soon.

This creates two big problems:

• 75% of UK executives are struggling to hire the digital skills they need.
• The world is changing so fast that just 1 in 5 employees are confident in their data skills.

Apprenticeships provide a huge opportunity to keep your business up-to-date with the pace of change, because lessons are taken alongside the learner’s job. This allows them to immediately apply their new skills, which means you instantly reap the rewards of your investment. According to data from UCAS and BCS: The Chartered Institute of IT, digital apprenticeships have hit an all-time high, as programmes increasingly bridge digital skills shortages and provide opportunities for all. 

Available Funding for Data & AI Apprenticeships

The good news is that as a Government priority, apprenticeships come with available funding. In 2017, the Government introduced the Apprenticeship Levy to encourage investment in strengthening the country’s skills base.  

All organisations with staff costs over £3 million must pay 0.5% of their salary bill into a ring-fenced Apprenticeship Levy pot. The money is collected monthly by PAYE and used for training on approved apprenticeship schemes. This means there is no cost for levy-paying employers to train apprentices.

However, research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies shows the Levy has raised £580 million more than has been allocated for spending on skills and training across the UK. When funds aren’t used within 24 months of being collected, the organisation loses the money - so it pays to make sure you invest every penny in an appropriate programme to upskill your team. 

To access funding via the Apprenticeship Levy, you must first set up an Apprenticeship Service account. You will then be asked to add a PAYE scheme on behalf of your organisation, and need to accept the employer agreement with the Department for Education (DfE). Once complete, you can use your account to access and manage apprenticeship funding, receive a transfer of apprenticeship funds, and find approved apprenticeship training providers, among other thing.

For companies who don’t pay the levy, there is an alternative way of accessing apprenticeships, called co-investment. These companies are liable for just 5% of the cost of an apprenticeship, which is paid directly to the training provider. The UK government then pays the bulk 95% of the cost. 

An alternative to the Levy are apprenticeship grants, which are offered by both private and public sector organisations - each with their own eligibility and awarding criteria. A quick search on the Government website will highlight some of these available opportunities.

If you need help with funding schemes and apprenticeship grants, please get in touch.

The Benefits of Having Data & AI Apprentices

There are so many benefits realised through data & AI apprenticeships. These are just a handful:

Future-proof your workforce

Apprenticeships equip your business with the diverse skills needed to navigate the future. The data & AI industry in particular, changes at a rapid pace. But an apprenticeship ensures employees are equipped to adapt to future innovations and trends - 86% of business executives said apprenticeships help learners develop skills relevant to their organisation.

Empower your employees

As employees acquire valuable data skills, their morale often rises, which creates a virtuous cycle of loyalty and productivity - 73% of employers reported an improvement in staff morale, 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development, and teams with engaged employees outperform those without by 202%.

Encourage continuous learning 

Data apprenticeships foster a culture of continuous learning within your organisation, which means your people are continually exposed to the latest tools, techniques, and best practices in their fields. This is going to help give you a competitive edge to stay ahead in a constantly evolving world.

Build a robust talent pipeline

When newly skilled workers proactively share their insights and knowledge with colleagues, it enhances the overall skill set of the whole organisation. As well as strengthening data proficiency, it also reinforces team collaboration to ensure knowledge flows seamlessly across the organisation. 

Get an immediate return

Apprentice outputs typically surpass their associated costs, which delivers a net benefit to you while they’re still training. When you invest in upskilling your talent via an apprenticeship programme, you can expect to gain between £2,500 and £18,000 per year. Furthermore, once your employee completes the programme, that return only increases because apprenticeship costs and expenses are removed, while their productivity increases.

Key Data & AI Roles Suitable for Apprenticeships

Data & AI apprenticeship programmes are best suited for any role that requires an employee to work with data on a regular basis. For example:

While most apprenticeships do not require the learner to have formal qualifications, the technical level of the programme may require the learner to have certain expertise and/or previous experience in a related role. For example:

Level 4 AI Transformation Specialist Apprenticeship: builds on the Level 4 Business Analyst standard, enhancing it with specialised AI transformation skills to meet the demands of the digital age.

Level 6 AI Engineer Apprenticeship: builds on the Level 6 Machine Learning Engineer standard to help learners build and apply machine learning solutions to real-world problems.

Level 3 AI Champion Apprenticeship: unlocks the power of AI tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, to create AI Champions who drive technological innovation through your organisation.

However, there are some programmes, like the Level 3 Data Citizen Apprenticeship, which are suited to any individual - particularly those who are drowning in spreadsheets!

Get a Competitive Edge with Data & AI Apprenticeships

Every business has big strategic questions they need to answer to move their business forward. For example:

• How do we drive transformation to make it faster, using less resources, and while focussing on what really matters, so we have more impact?
• How do we enable self-serve capabilities within teams, so they can perform their own analysis to support their decision making?
• How do we ensure and demonstrate compliance when using data and AI (challenges of governance, security, ethics)?

And then there’s the functional-level pain points that need to be addressed, such as:

• What can we do to retain customers?
• What can we do to increase profitability?
• What can we do to improve the customer/employee experience?

An apprenticeship in data & AI can help you answer these fundamental questions - and more. 

Unlike a traditional training programme or academic learning, apprenticeships remain focused on the practical application, which prepares learners to apply their new skills in the real-world. Rather than adhere to a tightly-defined syllabus, the apprenticeship programme is shaped by the learner and involves their manager. It’s a more flexible way of learning, which is tailored to the individual, their role and the organisation.

Rather than subject learners to a regime of lectures and theoretical assignments, an apprenticeship favours practical workshops and community networking, where individuals can study their subject at depth/breadth. 

Choose to enroll on an apprenticeship programme with Cambridge Spark, and learners also gain access to our online learning platform, EDUKATE.AI, which uses real datasets in a sandbox environment to allow teams to practise their new skills and receive immediate feedback.

Business impact of 1 apprentice:

Don’t Just Take Our Word for it…

“Complex experimental data sets generated within R&D are becoming more accessible to scientists; however these individuals do not always have the necessary skill sets to analyse them using modern analytical approaches. While all R&D scientists have the opportunity to increase their data analytics skills, this apprenticeship offers focused “hands on'' training that accelerates an individual's development.”

Jim Harvey, Director, GSK

Talk to Us about Data & AI Apprenticeships

At Cambridge Spark, we set the gold standard in apprenticeships. We’re always first to market with recognised certifications and qualifications that develop new skills.

We have:

Talk to us today about how an apprenticeship can help boost your data & AI capabilities.