Multiverse, the upskilling platform for tech and AI adoption, has announced plans to train 15,000 new AI apprentices across the UK over the next two years.

Under the scheme, which the firm hopes will expand pathways into AI careers, learners will develop skills across areas including AI ethics and prompt engineering, data management and governance, as well as building and deploying machine learning and AI models.

Beginning this month, the new apprentices will take on roles with major employers across the country, including Skanska, John Lewis Partnership, Visa, and the University of Manchester.

Another employer, financial services giant Legal & General, has fifty apprentices on its AI programmes, while professional services company Capita has enrolled nearly 200 apprentices onto AI programmes across its UK offices.

“Developing our colleagues’ AI proficiency is not just about identifying opportunities for efficiency, but about future-proofing our workforce and driving innovation across our organisation,” said Adolfo Hernandez, Capita’s CEO.

“We see AI as a once-in-a-generation shift that will redefine how organisations operate, and Multiverse’s approach ensures our colleagues gain practical, job-relevant AI skills that make an immediate impact.”

According to Multiverse, learning outcomes on the scheme are tailored to match capability and delivered by industry-expert coaches, with apprentices’ new skills applied within the day-to-day requirements of their roles. 

Business impact will be measured throughout the project, in the form of new revenue unlocked by apprentices’ work, as well as costs avoided through their additional productivity.

The new cohort will add to the more than 2,200 AI apprentices Multiverse currently have enrolled with over 200 employers, creating what the firm said will become a nationwide community of AI experts that can boost the productivity and innovation of their organisations.

“Whether it’s impacting you directly yet or not, we are already undergoing an AI revolution – and the key to winning in this new era lies in augmenting human capability,” said Euan Blair, CEO at Multiverse.

“Our commitment to 15,000 AI apprenticeships is a bold declaration that AI skills must be for everyone, at every stage of their career. We want to equip entire organisations with the ability to seize the opportunities AI offers and build the workforce of tomorrow.”

The programme will be funded by the Growth and Skills Levy, a £40m investment announced in September as part of an overhaul of the apprenticeship system by the UK Government, with the aim of helping young people find a pathway into careers in emerging critical sectors.

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Multiverse isn’t the only tech firm pushing to close the UK’s AI skills gap.

In April, Amazon Web Services announced its plans to help 100,000 people across the country gain AI skills within the next five years as part of the firm’s Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance programme.

Launched in June 2023, AWS’ Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance has seen more than 990 educational institutions and 780 employers take part around the world, including major international firms like Deloitte, Accenture, and Siemens, with the ultimate goal of equipping potential employees with practical skills in high-demand tech sectors.

Likewise, training platform Corndel recently launched its Enterprise AI Academy, which hopes to upskill 10,000 professionals in AI by the end of the year, while just yesterday the UK Government revealed a £187 million skills programme to support UK pupils gain the skills needed for AI-powered jobs of the future.