UK government starts AI summer bootcamp for North West school leavers
The TechFirst pathway combines training from IN4 Group with apprenticeship opportunities from employers including JD Sports and Heinz
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy meets young recruits from North West England who have started training through the TechFirst AI Apprenticeship Pathway. Photo: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Young people from Wigan, Blackburn, Blackpool and other communities across North West England have begun AI training through the UK government’s new TechFirst AI Apprenticeship Pathway.
The government describes the program as the first AI summer bootcamp of its kind and says it is intended to reduce the risk of young people becoming unemployed after leaving school.
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy met recruits taking part in the training. The scheme is being delivered by IN4 Group and brings together government, businesses and public sector organizations from across the region.
JD Sports and Heinz are among the employers offering apprenticeships through the pathway, giving participants a potential route from the bootcamp into technology roles.
Kanishka Narayan MP, the UK Minister for AI, framed the program as preparation for changes already taking place in the labor market. “AI is already shaping where jobs go,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
“The best preparation for our young people will be the skills to thrive with AI.”
Bootcamp opens with key details still unpublished
The announcement confirms that the first recruits have started training and that participating employers are offering apprenticeships.
It does not state how many young people are in the initial cohort, how long the summer bootcamp will run or what its AI curriculum covers. Selection criteria and the number of apprenticeships available from each employer have also not been disclosed.
There is no confirmation that every participant who completes the training will move into an apprenticeship.
The program places IN4 Group at the center of delivery. The technology training provider operates across the UK and the Middle East and holds approved training provider status with Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Google. It is rated “Good” by Ofsted.
According to figures supplied by the company, IN4 has worked with more than 500 employers, engaged over 2,000 schools and colleges and helped more than 6,000 people move into technology jobs.
IN4 expands regional AI training
The youth bootcamp joins other AI skills initiatives being delivered by IN4 Group across North West England.
On August 12, the company announced a partnership with the Electech Innovation Cluster to train employees from electronics businesses across Lancashire and Cumbria.
Staff from member organizations will undertake the Level 4 AI and Automation Practitioner apprenticeship standard through eight in-person masterclasses hosted by cluster member Teleplan Forsberg. The training will focus on practical AI and data skills for the workplace.
Chris Mayne, Managing Director of Teleplan Forsberg and a member of the Electech Innovation Cluster Steering Board, says: “AI is creating new opportunities for businesses, but people need the skills and confidence to understand where it can genuinely add value.”
The regional activity follows IN4 Group’s selection in May as the exclusive AI and data training company partner to Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Plans for 2026 included free half-day workshops, funded programs for small and medium-sized enterprise employees and support for larger businesses establishing in-house AI and Data Academies.
That partnership built on a 2025 program through which IN4 delivered AI and data training to 169 Greater Manchester businesses with a combined workforce of 5,280.
The government has not provided an application route or timetable for future cohorts of the TechFirst AI summer bootcamp.
