Grant Thornton UK and Teesside University have launched two new Levy-funded apprenticeships completing a three-tier AI capability training offering for businesses, as reported by Grant Thornton, responding to growing demand from organisations seeking structured, practical ways to build AI capability in-house across all levels of their workforce.

The launch follows the existing AI and Digital Skills for Business Impact programme, a Level 4 apprenticeship already live for non-technical roles across operations, finance, customer support, project teams and change functions.

The two new additions are the AI and Automation Practitioner, a Level 4 apprenticeship for technical teams, automation specialists and innovation leads covering low- and no-code tools, systems integration, prompt engineering, data analytics and governance frameworks, and the AI Leadership Units, 30-hour standalone modules for senior figures including directors and associate directors focused on AI strategy, governance and investment decision-making.

The AI and Automation Practitioner and AI and Digital Skills apprenticeships each run over 12 months with one day per week allocated to programme activity, followed by a six-month assessment period. The AI Leadership Units run as standalone 30-hour modules. All three are fully funded through the Apprenticeship Levy.

All three offerings have been developed with Teesside University, rated Outstanding by Ofsted as an apprenticeship provider. The technical apprenticeship curriculum covers workflow automation, systems integration, prompt engineering, data intelligence and change management, with responsible AI practices embedded throughout.

Ruth Walsh, Talent Solutions Partner at Grant Thornton UK, said organisations are now focused on implementation rather than adoption decisions. "Organisations are moving beyond asking whether to adopt AI to how to make it work, safely and responsibly," she said. "One pattern we're seeing is at board and leadership level: many organisations don't yet have the AI ethics and governance frameworks to match their ambition. This offering builds that capability, alongside the practical skills to implement and invest well."

Walsh added that the human dimension of transformation remains central to the programme design. "Participants will learn how to identify high-value AI opportunities, connect fragmented systems and design workflows that improve performance and customer outcomes, with stakeholder engagement built in as transformation is as much about people as it is about technology," she said.