AI Apprenticeships in Derby
Levy-funded AI apprenticeships for Derby employers. 100% funded through the Apprenticeship Levy or 95% co-funded for SMEs. Delivered live online across East Midlands.
Why Derby Employers Are Investing in AI Skills
Derby's £3.2bn advanced engineering economy — Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Bombardier (Alstom), and the East Midlands rail cluster — is a UK hotspot for AI in propulsion, automotive, and rail systems.
Across East Midlands, employers are racing to adopt AI tools — Microsoft Copilot, Power Automate, ChatGPT, agentic workflows — to compete and to free up frontline time. But AI tools without trained people just sit on the shelf.
AI apprenticeships let Derby employers build capability using funding they're already paying. Levy-paying employers (annual pay bill over £3 million) use their existing levy pot. Smaller employers access 95% government co-funding — paying just 5% of training costs. Whole teams across Derby can train together online with no travel disruption.
AI Apprenticeships for Every Derby Sector
Aerospace & Propulsion
Rolls-Royce Derby is one of the UK's largest deployers of AI for engine design, predictive maintenance, and digital twins.
Automotive Manufacturing
Toyota's Burnaston plant uses AI for production analytics, quality inspection, and supply chain optimisation.
Rail Engineering
Derby is the UK's rail capital. Alstom uses AI for rolling stock design, maintenance prediction, and signalling.
Healthcare
UHDB deploys AI in clinical decision support, radiology, and patient pathway management.
Public Sector
Derby and Derbyshire councils adopt AI for planning, transport, and citizen services.
Education & Research
Derby's university leads research in zero-carbon engineering and AI-augmented manufacturing.
Programmes Available to Derby Employers
Data-Driven Team Leader
For first-line managers who need to use data and AI tools to make better decisions, improve team performance, and lead change.
AI & Automation Practitioner
The core hands-on programme. Build, test, and deploy AI and automation solutions using Microsoft Copilot, Power Automate, or Google Workspace AI. No coding required. 15 months, fully levy-funded.
AI Leadership Pathway
Three Level 5 apprenticeship units (AI Strategy, AI Governance, AI Transformation) built for senior leaders. 8–12 weeks per unit, no EPA, up to £2,250 combined funding per leader. TESS Group is one of the first approved providers.
AI for Team Leaders
For first-line leaders who need both AI fluency and management capability. Includes CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership. The natural alternative to the defunded Team Leader L3.
AI for Operations Leaders
Operational excellence through AI. Supply chain optimisation, process automation, quality improvement, and analytics. Includes CMI Level 5.
AI & ML Fellowship
Advanced programme for technical specialists. Machine learning engineering, neural networks, NLP, and responsible AI at scale.
How We Deliver to Derby
Live Online Sessions
Interactive training via Zoom or Teams. Your team joins from their desks in Derby. No travel, no disruption.
At Your Premises
For employers who prefer face-to-face, we deliver at your Derby offices. Same programme, same quality.
Dedicated Coach
Every learner gets a dedicated skills coach who understands their role, industry, and goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Any employer paying the Apprenticeship Levy (annual pay bill over £3 million) can use their existing levy funds. TESS Group delivers remotely across Derby and East Midlands. Non-levy employers access 95% government co-funding, paying just 5% of training costs.
No. Apprenticeship training can be delivered remotely by any DWP-approved provider in England. TESS Group is Ofsted Good-rated and delivers live, interactive training via Zoom or Microsoft Teams — so a Derby-based business can access exactly the same training quality as a London-based one.
It depends on the role. For frontline staff in any function, the AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 is the flagship — no coding, 15 months, levy-funded. For first-line managers, AI for Team Leaders L4. For senior leaders, the L5 AI Leadership Units (Strategy / Governance / Transformation) are short, no-EPA, ~8 weeks each.
Absolutely. Because training is delivered live online, team members across East Midlands (and beyond) can join the same cohort. We've run cohorts spanning 6+ employer sites.
Every TESS programme includes up to five qualifications: the apprenticeship standard, Microsoft certifications (AI-900 or MS-900), NCFE digital qualifications, vendor-specific credentials (Copilot Studio, Power Automate), and a portfolio of workplace evidence. CMI qualifications (L3 or L5) are bundled into AI for Team Leaders / AI for Operations Leaders.
New cohorts start every 4-6 weeks. From initial enquiry to your first learner starting, the typical timeline is 2-4 weeks. We handle the apprenticeship service registration, learner onboarding, and all admin.
Ready to Discuss Derby AI Apprenticeships?
Whether you want to test AI apprenticeships with a small pilot or roll out across your Derby team, we make it simple.
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