How digital apprenticeships can help build AI-ready teams

Super interesting! "Artificial intelligence adoption and workplace training" by Samuel Muehlemann. "AI adoption is associated with a 14% increase in new apprenticeships among training firms (intensive margin), but is not linked to the training decision (extensive margin). AI adoption is also associated with a modest increase in continuing training, with resources shifting toward high-skilled employees. The results align with AI as an automation innovation that reduces demand for simple skills as well as an augmentation innovation that increases demand for more advanced skills. The German dual apprenticeship system appears critical for firms aiming to build a future-ready workforce in the age of AI." https://lnkd.in/eh5KU3d8

Is AI breaking the bottom rung—or helping young talent climb higher? 40% of college students already use AI to complete coursework. That means the next wave of grads will enter the workforce with built-in AI literacy—while many entry-level tasks are being automated away. The result? Universities are reshaping programs, employers are rethinking apprenticeships, and initiatives like Salesforce’s Future Pathways are creating more inclusive entry points. 📖 Read how AI is reshaping the first step in a career → https://sforce.co/47tVzqH

End of a really busy few weeks with the start of term, apprenticeship work and general family life (Who else has already ranted about lost uniform and stains on school shirts?) However, I had the wonderful opportunity of listening a brilliant colleague leading a short "getting started with AI" session earlier this week. Audience wouldn't be 'typical' AI users (although I'm not sure what this is anymore) Mostly were still judging whether it could add value but eager and very much willing. The overriding message which I loved was short and simple: Just get started. Use common sense about what you put in. The fearmongering can be unhelpful at times. Simple advice, but it landed. Sometimes we overcomplicate things when people just need permission to experiment. A flurry of Teams messages followed afterwards - people sharing their specific use cases, asking practical questions, comparing approaches. That's when learning actually happens. Not in the theoretical discussions, but when colleagues start saying "I tried this and it worked" or "this didn't work for me, what am I missing?"

Here are seven trends/predictions about AI in learning and work for next year from the always interesting Claire Zau. Some highlights: 1. Fostering Trust: "Electricity had to prove it wouldn’t burn down homes" 3. From Testing to Continued Intelligence: "assessment can becomes continuous" 4. Fallout from the Automation of Entry-Level Job: "we could see the rise of AI-first apprenticeships." https://lnkd.in/gyrshrW9

📢 We’re delighted to welcome QA Ltd as a Bronze Sponsor of the AI Symposium at #BTW2025. AI isn’t just for technical teams — it’s for everyone. That’s why QA Ltd’s apprenticeships embed AI skills and Microsoft Copilot training into every learner’s journey, at no extra cost. Their association with Birmingham Tech Week matters because it highlights a shared mission: to prepare the West Midlands workforce for the AI-powered future and make AI skills accessible to all. Learn more about the critical AI, technology, digital and human skills needed to transform and succeed in a changing world at QA Ltd 👉 https://www.qa.com/ 📅 Meet QA at the AI Symposium (22 Oct) and explore how apprenticeships can transform your organisation 👉 www.birminghamtechweek.com #BTW2025 #AISymposium #BirminghamTechWeek #DigitalSkills #QuantumLeap

🚀 AI isn’t just transforming businesses, it’s transforming how we train the workforce of tomorrow. Every sector from healthcare and finance to engineering is being reshaped by data and AI. Over 52 % of tech leaders in the UK report an AI skills shortage, up from only 20 % previously. Meanwhile, the UK’s AI sector employment jumped 33 % between 2023 and 2024, with over 86,000 AI professionals now working across the country. 🌍 On a global scale, AI and big data are among the fastest-growing skill areas, with analytical thinking - the ability to interpret and act on data - rated essential by 70 % of employers. That’s why apprenticeships are vital. They build future-ready talent through real-world, hands-on training, and at the University of Hertfordshire, they’re helping us close the digital skills gap, right now! 👏 I’m proud to be working with Dominic Whyte-Ifill MBA, apprenticeships expert in Data, Digital & Engineering, to drive this forward. 👉 How are you seeing data and AI skills evolve in your industry? Could apprenticeships be a game-changer in your talent strategy? #data #ai #digitalskills #apprenticeships #futureofwork #ukskills 📌 Sources for the stats mentioned: UKTN - AI becomes the UK’s fastest-growing skills gap https://shorturl.at/WxQzG GOV.UK – Artificial Intelligence Sector Study 2024 https://shorturl.at/1Cqtd IT Pro – UK industries facing the biggest digital skills gaps in 2025 https://shorturl.at/yESEM

Over the summer, as my son prepared to start his first year of college, our conversations at times turned to the future of work. Many in his generation already feel a sense of foreboding about AI, worried that the careers they aspire to may vanish before they even begin. Some are even choosing blue-collar apprenticeships over college, believing those paths might offer more security from automation. These reflections led me to write the first in a series of articles exploring how AI is reshaping opportunity, anxiety, and the job market. You can read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/g-ZvH3kc #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #FutureOfWork #AIandJobs #Reskilling

Time is running out to access a funded master's-level apprenticeship! Level 7 programmes like the MSc Digital & Technology Solutions and AI Data Specialist are helping organisations build deep expertise, and give people the opportunity to access higher education without leaving their job or taking on student debt 💰 But with funding reforms kicking in this January, October will be the final cohort able to take advantage of this option for the majority of people. If you're considering upskilling senior talent or accessing a funded master's for your team, now is the time to act! 📩 Reach out if you'd like to explore options before the window closes. #Apprenticeships #Level7 #DigitalSkills #Leadership

👷♂️ + 🤖 Apprentices + AI Agents = The Future of Execution Most companies treat apprenticeships and AI as separate lanes: 👷 Apprenticeships = workforce pipelines. 🤖 AI = automation. That’s too small a frame. When you fuse them — with human-in-the-loop discipline and project management best practices — you get a compounding execution engine. In an 18-month Digital Transformation Apprenticeship: 🔹 Apprentices turn every OJL hour into SOPs, governance, and clean data. 🔹 AI agents handle the repeatable, compliance-heavy tasks. 🔹 Humans stay in the loop — driving decisions and accountability. The loop is the moat: ✅ Apprentices grow faster because agents reduce friction. ✅ Agents evolve faster because apprentices feed them governance. ✅ Clients modernize at scale — without the bloat of consulting. It’s a blueprint for execution in the AI economy: ✨ Human empathy ⚙️ Machine precision 📊 Project management rigor Blue-collar cost. White-collar returns. Project Management Institute #EmployeeOwnership #AutomatedAudits #ApprenticeAgents

Consulting is not dead but it sure will look different once people start to realize. For decades, the model has been the same: projects staffed with layers of junior resources who are “adding value.” The truth? You’re paying for their development, not your outcomes. That may have made sense in a world where apprenticeship was the only way to build expertise. But with AI, the equation has changed. In less than 5 minutes (this one took me 45 seconds), you can generate a professional-looking methodology or project framework that once took an entire team weeks to build. Clients don’t need the extra layers anymore. They need insight, creativity, and execution and not a training ground they subsidize. Consulting hasn’t ended. But the way consulting is bought has changed forever. (see attached) #AI #Consulting #Innovation #FutureofWork #Productivity