AI Skills Bootcamps in England (2026)

Which AI Skills Bootcamps can I do?

Start with where you live: each AI Skills Bootcamp is funded through a local area, so most take only people who live there, and some people who work there. These are the 19 AI courses we found on the National Careers Service on 7 Nov 2026 that are still current, across 41 listings, with each one's level, length and start date.

How we found them: we searched the National Careers Service course finder for "AI" with the Skills Bootcamp filter (62 results) and kept every course with AI in its title and a flexible or future start. Listings of the same course in several areas, runs or names are one row. A run drops off once its start date passes.

Also listed as AI Skills Bootcamps, but left out of the table:

• Intel AI for Current Workforce (Level 3): The only start date listed (9 February 2026) has passed.
• Applied AI for Business Transformation: The only start date listed (14 September 2026) has passed.
• AI for Business (Berkshire): The only start date listed (5 November 2026) had passed when read.
• Diploma in Web Applications Development with AI: Listed as a Skills Bootcamp but priced at £5,421.00 over 12 months, paid with a loan or self-funded, which is outside the scheme as the Department for Education describes it (free, up to 16 weeks).

Do you have to live in a certain area for a Skills Bootcamp?

Usually, yes. The national rules are that you are 19 or over and the scheme applies in England, but the money goes to local areas: GOV.UK lists 35 local areas with a Skills Bootcamps contact (list updated 30 September 2026). Each provider then checks that you live, or sometimes work, in its area.

Cumberland Council's listings set out a typical check, in their words: "You may be eligible to apply for a Skills Bootcamp if you: - are aged 19 or over, - have the right to work in the UK, - live in England, - meet residency requirements (we can check this)".

Some go further. Pixel Takeaway's London course says: "You must be a UK-resident for at least 3 years". Read the entry requirements on the listing before you apply.

How much does an AI Skills Bootcamp cost?

Nothing, if you are 19 or over, live in England where a local area funds one, meet the provider's rules and apply as an individual: Skills for Careers lists the cost as free. If your employer puts you forward to upskill, the employer pays 10% of the training cost with 1 to 249 employees, or 30% with 250 or more (the official wording is under who can get Skills Bootcamps). Hiring someone who has finished one is free too. The Department for Education says: "There is no cost to your business to recruit individuals who have completed Skills Bootcamps".

No national price is published, so the share is of whatever the provider charges. Two AI bootcamps state the employer's price per learner:

Self-employed? Several providers say their AI bootcamps are free for you, among them Cumberland Council, Code Institute, Primed Talent ("Free for eligible self-employed learners, subject to funding and eligibility") and Optimise Cyber Solutions. The national pages don't say what self-employed learners pay, so check the listing.

Are Skills Bootcamps running in 2026 to 2027?

Scheme status checked on 7 Nov 2026: running, in England only. The Department for Work and Pensions published the Skills Bootcamps funding allocations for 2026 to 2027 (updated 1 June 2026): up to £46,400,000 across the local areas that get a grant, including £12,000,000 ring-fenced for construction. The total is a maximum, and it leaves out Greater London Authority; West Midlands; Greater Manchester; Liverpool City Region; South Yorkshire; West Yorkshire; North East; Cambridge and Peterborough; East Midlands County; Greater Lincolnshire County; Hull and East Yorkshire; Tees Valley; West of England; and York and North Yorkshire. These fund bootcamps through an integrated settlement or a single adult skills allocation.

On 7 Nov 2026 the National Careers Service listed AI bootcamps with start dates up to 18 Jan 2027, most with a flexible start. No closing date for the scheme is stated on the pages read.

Skills Bootcamps don't run in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. There, AI Skills Boost is free for every adult, and each nation funds its own courses: see government-funded AI courses by nation.

Who can get Skills Bootcamps?

In the official words (official page, checked 7 Nov 2026):

• "Skills Bootcamps are flexible training courses for adults aged 19 and over. They last up to 16 weeks and offer participants a job interview on completion."
• "If you train an existing employee through Skills Bootcamps, you will need to make a training cost contribution: 10% if you are a small to medium employer with 1 to 249 employees … 30% if you are a large employer with 250 or more employees"
• "Skills Bootcamps teach you skills for specific careers and sectors with a guaranteed job interview at the end."
• "digital, including data engineering, software development and marketing"

Who pays: Government; employers training their own staff pay part of the cost.

How do I apply?

Use the find a course tool on the Get careers information and advice service (linked from Skills for Careers), then apply on the training provider's website.

Status: Running in England, with local funding allocated for the 2026 to 2027 financial year.