Hiring & HR – British SME

Pen-and-ink illustration of a British small business owner planning AI and automation training at a desk, with a small tucked-away Union Jack as the only coloured element

New AI apprenticeship opens to UK employers: what small businesses should do now

by Alistair Cowen-Page
17 March 2026

A new level 4 AI and automation apprenticeship is open to employers across the UK. For small businesses, the opportunity is not just hiring talent but fixing repetitive admin, joining up systems and building AI capability without jumping straight into expensive software projects.

Pen-and-ink illustration of a small business owner welcoming a young apprentice outside a high-street shop, with a small Union Jack as the only colour accent.

Youth jobs drive and apprenticeship cash: what UK small businesses should watch now

by Alistair Cowen-Page
16 March 202616 March 2026

Small employers across the UK have been handed a new reason to look again at apprenticeships and entry-level hiring. The government says a fresh £1 billion youth employment package will help unlock 200,000 jobs and…