Teens who have fallen outside employment or education are being invited to AI and technology 'boot camps' with the opportunity to gain top level apprenticeships. Launched in Wigan this week, the 'first of its kind' TechFirst AI apprenticeship pathway hopes to raise the profile of technical education and create jobs.
First Cohort from North West
The young recruits attending the first three week 'boot camps' have all been selected from the North West, with youngsters from Wigan and Oldham joining others from Blackpool and Blackburn as the first cohort. Youth services in the towns invited the youngsters to take part, all of whom were out of work or at risk of entering unemployment after school.
Up to 70 young people aged 16 to 21 are taking part in the pilot with employers such as Wigan based Heinz and JD Sports, who have their campus headquarters in Bury, pledging to recruit some of the teens into full-time employment, working on AI linked improvements to their processes.
Minister Backs Scheme
Wigan MP and secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Lisa Nandy attended the launch event at Wigan Youth Zone on Thursday. She said: "We're blessed in Greater Manchester to have companies who see themselves as part of the local community, Heinz in Wigan have always been active and JD have invested in Bury. These employers and others can make sure that the youngsters get a paid apprenticeship and a real opportunity at the end of a three week course. It's magic what's happening here and it's great that the North West is pioneering it. We hope to roll it out across the rest of the country."
She added: "Young people in every postcode deserve the opportunity to a great start to their adult life, and we are tackling the youth unemployment crisis head on. For so long in places like Wigan young people have had to 'get out to get on'. If they wanted a good well paid career, too many times the answer was that they had to move away from home. What this does is create this opportunities here for those young people."
Employer Perspectives
The scheme will be delivered by IN4 Group, who are based in Media City. Peter Jordaan is the site director of Heinz in Wigan. He said: "We're very excited about this, our factory is 70 years old and has been a major employer in Wigan since then. Manufacturing is evolving, the better technology we can implement, the better we can produce in terms of quality of product and give better value to consumers. If we can introduce technology that can automate and integrate in will lower the cost of a can of baked beans or tomato soup."
Digital lead at Heinz, Hayley Reid said: "One of the youngsters here today will be joining us and that's exciting. They will come to our factory and learn alongside their studies, based in our digital team at Kitt Green. I'm sure they will be teaching us things."
Ethan, 15, from Wigan is one of the first 70 youngsters taking part. He said: "I am 16 soon and I have grown up in Wigan with my mum and step-dad, while seeing my dad every other weekend. My mum is currently a carer and her partner needs care after a spinal injury from a serious motorcycle accident. I help out at home wherever I can. These experiences have helped me become, what I think, is mature for my age. In school, I enjoyed some of the later years of school and my chosen subjects, I like learning things when it is hands on and I think I do well with having supportive teachers. I now feel like I want to just move into the workplace, gain practical experience and continue learning."
During the bootcamp, the participants will also develop skills in office tools and systems, professional communication, teamwork, timekeeping and organisation, and how to work under pressure and problem-solve in workplace environments.
The pilot scheme results will be used to inform an England-wide AI skills and early careers scheme which will roll out next summer.
