Start
Week 1 · 7 October
Onboarding, goal setting, access 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
One onboarding week, four Foundation sessions with the gateway inside the fourth and five Bronze weeks ending in the showcase. The gateway and showcase sit inside their teaching weeks and are not extra weeks.
Progression is based on evidence and tutor review, not attendance or completed fields alone. Learners who need more practice receive support and a further check before Bronze application.
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 October to 4 November
Four practical sessions build AI literacy, safe habits, trust, data awareness, judgement and accountability. Evidence is gathered throughout.
Gateway
Within week 5 · 4 November
The tutor reviews each learner's Foundation evidence and records readiness, support or reassessment needs. This is part of the final Foundation session, not an extra week.
Bronze
Weeks 6 to 10 · 11 November to 9 December
Five weeks apply the Foundation baseline to an employer-informed brief, with drafting, checking, feedback and evidence of improvement.
Showcase
Within week 10 · 9 December
Learners present their applied work and explain their decisions, checks and progress. Employer participation is arranged with the delivery team.
WeekDateStage and focus
Week 17 OctOnboarding Access, goals, starting confidence and support
Week 214 OctFoundation session 1 AI literacy and responsible use
Week 321 OctFoundation session 2 Trust, ethics, data and guardrails
Week 428 OctFoundation session 3 Applying AI in real job scenarios
Week 54 NovFoundation session 4 and gateway Governance, accountability, assessment and readiness for Bronze
Week 611 NovBronze session 1 Understand the employer brief and agree a safe working plan
Week 718 NovBronze session 2 Apply AI to the task and develop a first draft
Week 825 NovBronze session 3 Test, gather feedback and improve
Week 92 DecBronze session 4 Review quality, organise evidence and prepare to present
Week 109 DecBronze session 5 and showcase Present applied work, receive feedback and identify next steps
The progression
From Foundation to Gold
The wider pathway is designed to develop capability from a safe AI baseline through practical application, more complex role-based work and leadership. The first PoC covers Foundation and Bronze. Silver and Gold describe later progression, with delivery and recognition arrangements confirmed separately.
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, with evidence of judgement and quality control.
Gold
Gold recognises people who lead AI adoption, set standards, mentor colleagues and help shape the direction of the programme.
Programme design
How the pathway is designed to work
Learners build a reviewable record of applied work. Tutors assess the required evidence and employers may contribute briefs, feedback or review where agreed. The PoC will test learning value, delivery quality and employer relevance before wider claims are made.
Evidence and tutor review
Progress is built on evidence of applied work, reviewed by tutors with employer feedback where arranged. The record is designed to be portable between roles.
Focus areas
Content is organised into clear focus areas that reflect how AI is used in real organisations, so an employer can map the programme onto their own roles.
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.
Apprenticeship and funded skills alignment
The pathway is designed to sit alongside apprenticeships and funded provision, subject to funding rules and provider requirements, 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.