FULL RELEASE
September 2026, London: Lloyds Banking Group has launched its first Level 6 AI Engineer Apprenticeship cohort in partnership with Cambridge Spark, marking a significant milestone in the Group’s continued investment in AI skills and future talent.
The cohort brings together 31 colleagues from across Lloyds Banking Group, supporting existing talent to develop specialist AI engineering capability and build the skills needed to contribute to the future of financial services.
The launch took place at Lloyds Bank HQ in London and forms part of the Group’s wider AI skills strategy, focused on helping colleagues across the organisation build the confidence, capability and responsibility needed to work with AI effectively.
As AI continues to reshape financial services, Lloyds Banking Group is investing in the people who will help turn AI ambition into practical impact.
The Level 6 AI Engineer Apprenticeship is designed to support colleagues who are building and deploying AI solutions in real-world environments. For technical teams working in areas such as software engineering, data and machine learning, the programme provides a structured route to develop deeper expertise in AI engineering, responsible deployment and applied problem-solving.
The launch also supports Lloyds’ broader approach to AI learning across the organisation. Lloyds has set out an “AI for all” strategy, recognising that different colleagues need different levels of AI capability depending on their role, from leaders and everyday users to enablers and technical builders.
By creating routes for existing talent to move into specialist AI careers, Lloyds is strengthening its future talent pipeline and helping colleagues grow with the technology shaping the sector.
The investment comes at a time when AI is already beginning to create practical value across Lloyds Banking Group.
From improving back-office processes to supporting faster response times and smarter in-app experiences, AI is helping the Group explore new ways to support customers and colleagues.
Rather than seeing AI only as a way to automate existing processes, Lloyds is focused on how the technology can help reimagine customer experience and improve the way banking services are delivered.
That shift requires more than access to new tools. It requires colleagues with the technical skills, judgement and confidence to build AI solutions responsibly and apply them in ways that are meaningful for the business and its customers.
The launch of the first Level 6 AI Engineer Apprenticeship cohort builds on the ongoing partnership between Lloyds Banking Group and Cambridge Spark.
The collaboration is focused on practical, relevant skills development that reflects Lloyds’ own AI strategy, business priorities and operating environment. By working closely together, the organisations are supporting colleagues to build the capabilities needed to navigate AI change and help deliver responsible innovation at scale.
Jeremy Bradley, Chief AI Officer at Cambridge Spark, said:
“AI is changing every level of an organisation, and the organisations that embrace that change thoughtfully will be the ones best placed to benefit from it.
What stands out about Lloyds Banking Group’s approach is the focus on people, building the skills, confidence and technical capability needed to make AI a valuable asset in the real world.”
Noel Helliwell, Lead Machine Learning Engineer at Lloyds Banking Group, said:
“The strategy for AI at Lloyds is AI for all. We have different colleagues with different needs, from leaders and everyday users to those building AI solutions, and the focus is on helping people upskill in the areas that are relevant to them.
With AI, we do not just want to automate processes. We want to reimagine what we can do and create the best customer experience.”
For the first cohort, the launch marks the beginning of a new learning journey and an opportunity to build skills that will shape the future of AI within Lloyds Banking Group.
As AI continues to evolve, the partnership demonstrates the importance of investing in people alongside technology, creating the conditions for responsible, practical and lasting AI impact.
ENDS
About Cambridge Spark
Founded in 2016 by Dr. Raoul-Gabriel Urma, Cambridge Spark is one of the largest digital skills education providers in the UK. It helps businesses upskill their workforces in AI and data skills through immersive, practical, and educational programmes and has worked with household-name firms across various industries. In 2024, it was listed in The Sunday Times 100 of the UK's fastest-growing companies.
About Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Banking Group is one of the UK’s largest financial services organisations, serving millions of customers across retail, commercial and business banking. Through its continued investment in technology, skills and innovation, the Group is focused on helping customers, colleagues and communities prosper in a changing economy.
For more information, please contact:
Cambridge Spark
Abigail Leachman, Head of Marketing Operations
abby@cambridgespark.com