L6 AI Engineer Apprenticeship

Innovate & Deploy Production-Ready ML/AI Solutions that Transform Your Organisation

5 x faster ML model training achieved through automations

647 hours saved per year implementing new technologies

£120,000 saved by creating efficiencies

90% shorter project times achieved through automations

A Programme Built for Business Impact

The AI Engineer Apprenticeship is a Levy-funded programme designed to equip employees with the advanced technical skills to operationalise, build, and deploy production-ready AI systems.

Duration: 15 months

Price: Fully funded by the Apprenticeship Levy

AI-Driven Operational Efficiency

Automate complex workflows and optimise resource allocation with AI to save time and reduce manual effort.

Enhanced AI-Powered Decision-Making

Leverage predictive analytics and deep learning insights for more accurate forecasting and strategic planning.

Proactive Risk Management

Utilise AI models for anomaly detection and fraud prevention to minimise financial losses and bolster security.

Personalised Customer Experience

Deliver highly tailored recommendations and communications using AI to boost customer satisfaction and engagement.

27 Organisations Building the UK’s AI Workforce with AI Engineering

Cambridge Spark partners with leading UK organisations to launch the country's first Level 6 AI Engineer apprenticeship. Read how this initiative directly tackles the critical skills shortage by creating a talent pipeline capable of building, operationalising, and deploying AI systems that deliver measurable business impact across diverse sectors.

Suitable Roles & Strategic Capability

The Level 6 AI Engineer programme is your pipeline for enterprise-grade AI expertise.

Core AI & ML Engineering

AI Engineer / Machine Learning Engineer candidates focusing on designing, training, deploying, and maintaining production-ready ML models.

Data & AI Product Roles

AI Product Engineer and Applied Data Scientists who bridge business challenges with technical solutions, translating requirements into commercially valuable predictive models.

Specialised & Progression Paths

MLOps Engineer focusing on optimising production pipelines, automation, and system security, or AI Solutions Engineers managing complex client or internal requirements.

What Makes Our Programme Special

We deliver all our programmes online to provide maximum flexibility and inclusivity, ensuring all your employees can participate, regardless of location. Our approach blends experiential learning, coaching, and technical mentorship to deliver tangible business results.

Personalised Learner Support

We provide each of your employees with a dedicated Digital Mentor and Learner Success Coach. This personalised support structure addresses both technical and professional development, helping your team succeed and overcome any obstacles.

Expert Curriculum

Our comprehensive curriculum is designed to build the skills your workforce needs for successful digital transformation. It covers essential digital business analyst skills and includes specialist electives for those working on digital products.

Flexible Fully Online Learning

Our programme is fully online, providing maximum flexibility for your business and employees. Learners can access content from anywhere, with no setup or installation required, ensuring a seamless learning experience.

Data-Led Transformation

Digital transformation is driven by data. We ensure your employees understand the value of data in decision-making and are equipped to analyse the data they are using in their projects.

Instant Feedback for Accelerated Learning

Our programme is supported by EDUKATE.AI, which provides instant feedback on assignments. The platform's built-in Knowledge Base also fosters peer learning through a dedicated question forum.

Real-World Practice for Accelerated Impact

EDUKATE.AI provides a sandbox environment where learners can practise new skills on real assignments, accelerating their ability to apply new knowledge and drive immediate impact within your organisation.

Eligibility, Funding & Commitment

The L6 AI Engineer is ideal for employees in technical roles (data science, engineering, or software) who want to specialise in production-grade AI systems. They become the practitioners who make AI real in the business - building, deploying, and optimising models that are ethical, explainable, and commercially valuable.

Details for Employers

Price / Funding Band - Fully funded by the Apprenticeship Levy, up to the maximum funding band of £22,000
Non-Levy Cost - If you are a non-Levy payer (SME), the government funds 95% of the training cost. Your co-investment is only 5%.
Apprentice Eligibility - Employed in England and resident in the UK or EEA for the last 3 years. No prior ML/AI Engineer degree or related experience is required.

Details for Managers

Apprentice Time - Can commit to the minimum planned weekly hours off the job learning - required for the duration of the programme.
Manager Time - 30-minute progress review meeting with the apprentice and their dedicated coach every 3-4 months.
Compliance Support - We handle the administration. Our team manages compliance, funding applications, and Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account administration.

Delivering Value from Day One

By combining advanced engineering with product management and stakeholder engagement, the L6 AI Engineer curriculum ensures learners create AI solutions that are secure, ethical, and directly tied to measurable business outcomes.

Core Modules

Foundations of Machine Learning Engineering

Learners are taught the fundamentals of ML, focusing on Python libraries, linear models, and key mathematical concepts that prepare and enhance datasets for effective model development.

Practical Machine Learning Techniques

Learners explore supervised, semi-supervised, and unsupervised learning. As well as develop skills in model testing, tuning, and validation, with an introduction to tree-based methods and their ensembles.

Product Management for AI

Learners explore stakeholder engagement, design thinking, and project management to align AI projects with business objectives to ensure successful communication and outcome delivery.

Neural Networks and Deep Learning

Learners discover how to build and optimise neural network architectures, which enhances model performance. As well as develop their understanding of when to choose these architectures over traditional ML methods.

Explainability and Interpretability

Learners are taught the principles of Explainable AI and model interpretability. They also develop techniques to communicate AI decisions transparently, mitigate bias, and ensure fairness.

AI Ethics and Governance in Practice

Learners explore ethical considerations, compliance, and governance in AI and ML. As well as learn to develop processes that ensure your organisation adheres to data security, privacy, and industry standards.

Generative AI and Large Language Models

Learners study the fundamentals and applications of Generative AI and LLMs. As well as explore transformer models and NLP techniques, and assess their impact across various business domains.

Hackathon

Learners work collaboratively in teams on a project to apply their newly acquired skills in real-world contexts.

Machine Learning in Production

Learners study how to transition ML prototypes into live environments. As well as conduct feasibility studies, manage resources, and monitor performance to ensure stability and success.

Securing and Optimising ML Systems

Learners focus on maintaining and securing ML models in production. Additionally, they address scalability and sustainability challenges to keep models robust and environmentally responsible.

FAQs

What delivery options do you offer?

We tailor our delivery to your workforce needs. This ranges from independent, immersive e-learning supported by EDUKATE.AI through to tailored bootcamps, to our structured apprenticeship programmes.

Are you able to tailor the programme to the organisation and sector?

Yes. We work with our clients to contextualise our programmes to their organisation and sectors they operate in. We do this through bespoke assignments and guest lectures from industry experts. We also work with a range of partners to create bespoke programmes for sectors, such as health and journalism.

What is the Apprenticeship Levy?

The UK government introduced the Apprenticeship Levy scheme in April 2017 as a way to drive investment in strengthening the country’s skills base.

All organisations with annual staff costs of over £3m have to pay 0.5% of their salary bill into a ring-fenced apprenticeship levy pot. The money is collected monthly via PAYE and can only be used for training on approved apprenticeship schemes (such as the Level 5 AI Leader Apprenticeship that we offer). Organisations must forfeit any levy funding left unspent for 24 months or more.

For Individuals

Last Chance: Join the Final L7 Cohort

For Organisations

AI for Leaders

About

Revolutionise Data & AI Upskilling with EDUKATE.AI

Resources

The Data & AI Mastery Podcast

Level 6 AI Engineer Apprenticeship