Start
Week 1 · 7 Oct
Onboarding, goal setting and a first look at how AI fits each learner's role.
7 October to 9 December 2026
Proof of concept with Newcastle College
Initial Foundation and Bronze PoC
From 7 October to 9 December 2026, the initial PoC takes learners from a safe AI baseline into everyday productivity, practical evidence and employer-facing applied work.
Proof of concept
Foundation to Bronze PoC cohort
Foundation creates the safe AI baseline. Bronze turns that baseline into everyday productivity and evidence. Learners move from Start through a Gateway review to a live Showcase, applying their learning to an employer brief.
Learners build a portfolio showing what they did, what AI helped with, what they checked and how they applied human judgement.
Employers and sponsors can shape live briefs, mentoring, evidence review, social value, skills insight and progression routes.
Foundation
Weeks 2 to 5 · 14 Oct to 4 Nov
A safe AI baseline built through awareness, responsible use, trust, privacy and human judgement.
Gateway
Week 6 · 11 Nov
A review of Foundation evidence that decides whether a learner is ready to move into the Bronze brief.
Bronze
Weeks 7 to 9 · 18 Nov to 2 Dec
Learners turn the baseline into everyday productivity and evidence through a live employer brief.
Showcase
Week 10 · 9 Dec
Learners present their applied work to employers and the cohort marks the end of the PoC.
WeekDateStage and focus
Week 17 OctStart Onboarding and goal setting
Week 214 OctFoundation Essentials of working with AI
Week 321 OctFoundation Safe and responsible use
Week 428 OctFoundation AI in your role
Week 54 NovFoundation Workplace conversations about AI
Week 611 NovGateway Foundation evidence review
Week 718 NovBronze Live employer brief begins
Week 825 NovBronze Applied evidence gathered
Week 92 DecBronze Quality and judgement
Week 109 DecShowcase Present applied work to employers
The progression
From Foundation to Gold
Four levels take a learner from first confidence to recognised leadership in applied AI. Each level is evidenced through real work and recognised by employers, where appropriate.
Foundation
Foundation creates the safe AI baseline through awareness, responsible use, trust, privacy and human judgement.
Bronze
Bronze turns that baseline into everyday productivity and evidence through prompting, drafting, research, checking and task planning.
Silver
Learners take on more complex briefs and begin shaping how AI is used across a team. Evidence at this stage shows judgement, quality control and the ability to guide others.
Gold
The highest level recognises people who lead AI adoption in their organisation. Gold learners set standards, mentor colleagues and contribute to the direction of the programme itself.
What is already in place
The working machinery behind the pathway
Evidence and employer recognition
Progress is built on evidence of applied work, reviewed and recognised by employers. Each level produces a portable record of what a person has actually done, designed so employers can trust it and learners can carry it between roles.
Focus areas
Content is organised into clear focus areas that reflect how AI is used in real organisations. This keeps the pathway relevant across sectors and makes it simple for an employer to map the programme onto their own roles and priorities.
Partner and sponsor models
Employers, colleges and sponsors can engage through defined partner models. Sponsors can fund places and attach their support to regional impact, with outcome reporting against their contribution where appropriate.
Apprenticeship and funded skills alignment
The pathway is designed to sit alongside apprenticeships and funded skills provision. Where eligible and subject to funding rules and provider requirements, elements of the programme can complement existing funded routes rather than duplicating them.
A note on numbers
This briefing deliberately avoids headline statistics. Indicators shared in conversation are illustrative and clearly labelled as such, and outcome reporting is provided to partners and sponsors against their own contribution where appropriate.
All funded activity is subject to funding rules and provider requirements, and eligibility is confirmed case by case.