The UK government has launched a pioneering pilot programme designed to support young people at risk of becoming NEET – not in education, employment or training – into paid artificial intelligence apprenticeships, in a move that aims to tackle rising youth unemployment while building a pipeline of AI-ready talent for British businesses.
The AI Native Youth pilot, announced during London Tech Week by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, will initially support 60 young people aged 16 across five local authority areas in the North West: Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, Blackpool, Wigan and Oldham.
The initiative is being delivered by technology training provider IN4 Group, led by Blackburn-born entrepreneur Mo Isap OBE, who secured government backing for the programme. A minimum of ten young people from each participating area will begin £18,000 AI apprenticeships in September 2026.
A direct route into frontier technology
The pilot is designed to create a clear, paid pathway from school into high-value digital apprenticeships, starting in Year 10 and carrying participants through to their first proper role. It targets young people identified by schools through the Risk of NEET Indicator (RONI) and focuses particularly on care leavers, who face a significantly higher risk of disengagement from education and employment.
Under the programme, up to 50 selected students will be engaged and enrolled before the end of the academic year. They will then undertake a four-week summer programme focused on essential workplace communication and basic AI skills, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology at a cost of £90,000, before being matched to participating employers.
The government expects 50 per cent of those enrolled to convert into apprenticeship starts, with a strong completion rate anticipated for the apprenticeships, which typically last one year.
Employer backing from major companies
The pilot has secured support from a range of major employers, including JD Sports, BAE Systems, PA Consulting and Agilisys, alongside local councils across the North West.
The initiative builds on IN4 Group's existing MEGA Hubs network, which operates in more than 250 schools across the North West and has delivered STEM education and scholarships to more than 14,000 students.
'We have to disrupt the system'
Mo Isap OBE, CEO of IN4 Group, said the programme was designed to tackle the issue before young people reached the point of becoming disconnected from education or work.
"You can't fix a million young people at risk of becoming NEET by tinkering around the edges. We have to disrupt the system," Isap said.
"AI Native Youth gives young people a clear, paid pathway from school into high-value digital apprenticeships, starting in Year 10 and carrying them through to their first proper role. We are turning a group that is often seen as a problem into a generation we put on a pedestal."
"We've spent years building the MEGA Hubs, the school relationships, the local authorities and employer partnerships across Lancashire. Now, with backing from DSIT and support from our regional partners, we can prove the model this summer and then scale it nationally so that 1,000 young people don't just avoid becoming NEET, they become the AI-native talent our economy needs."
Government backing for AI skills
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan welcomed the launch of the programme, emphasising the government's commitment to opening up AI career opportunities for young people at greatest risk of falling out of education and employment.
"We are ensuring young people get the support and backing they need to realise their full potential and build rewarding careers in technology and AI," Narayan said.
"By partnering with IN4 Group to deliver this first-of-its-kind AI apprenticeship programme in the North West, we are opening up high-quality AI job opportunities for young people who are most at risk of leaving education and facing unemployment."
The pilot forms part of a broader government package of more than £200 million in investment to accelerate AI adoption and skills across the UK economy, announced at the first-ever AI Adoption Summit on 8 June.
Part of a wider skills agenda
The AI Native Youth pilot sits alongside several other government initiatives designed to tackle the NEET crisis and build digital skills:
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The Early Careers Jobs Alliance, backed by £20 million in funding, brings together government, employers, trade unions and young people to map out how entry-level work is changing and support businesses in redesigning job roles while maintaining entry-level pathways.
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AI bootcamps are being piloted across five local areas in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, providing free workplace and entry-level AI training and guaranteeing those who complete the bootcamp with a fully paid AI apprenticeship. If successful, the scheme will expand nationwide in the 2027 to 2028 academic year.
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The TechFirst programme will reach one million students across every secondary school in the UK, including 400,000 students attending the most disadvantaged schools, providing AI and tech skills training.
Tackling the NEET crisis
The pilot comes against a backdrop of significant concern about youth unemployment. Official statistics show that one million 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK are currently not in education, employment or training. In the North West alone, the figure stands at almost 124,000 young people.
The government has also invested £820 million in the Youth Guarantee, creating 350,000 new training and workplaces, 55,000 guaranteed jobs for the long-term unemployed and over 360 youth hubs across the UK.
A model for national rollout
If successful, the AI Native Youth pilot is expected to expand to support 1,000 young people over the next year, with the North West acting as the lead region for the model. The government has confirmed that the pilot will inform future national rollout of similar programmes.
The programme begins in Key Stage 4 and runs alongside the school curriculum, helping pupils develop AI and technology skills before progressing into Level 3 digital apprenticeships at the age of 16. Through a two-year AI-focused curriculum delivered from Years 10 and 11, participants will develop digital skills before progressing into apprenticeships, helping tackle rising NEET numbers while creating a pipeline of AI-ready talent for employers across the North West.
A new pathway for disadvantaged young people
For the young people taking part, the pilot offers something that has been historically scarce: a guaranteed route from school into a well-paid career in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy, with support from some of the UK's largest employers.
The programme also addresses a critical gap in the UK's AI skills pipeline. As businesses across every sector race to adopt artificial intelligence, the demand for AI-skilled workers continues to outstrip supply. By targeting young people at risk of disengagement and providing them with a clear pathway into AI careers, the government is seeking to address both the NEET crisis and the skills shortage simultaneously.
As Isap put it: "We are turning a group that is often seen as a problem into a generation we put on a pedestal."