Control the Ops · Apprenticeship
Get paid while you train in AI and automation.
A Level 4 apprenticeship: AI and Automation Practitioner. You work in a permanent job and train alongside it for 15 months, then take an end-point assessment. You never pay for the training.
The entry rules
Six things have to be true. Two of them are this programme’s own rules; the rest are the government’s.
-
Programme rule
A permanent PAYE contract
You are an employee, paid through PAYE, with a permanent contract: no end date. It has to cover the whole apprenticeship, which is 15 months of training and then the end-point assessment.
-
Programme rule
At least 16 hours a week
Your contract guarantees at least 16 hours of paid work a week. Under 30 hours, the training provider sets a realistic length for you, which can be longer than 15 months.
-
Government rule
You are 16 or over
Training can start after the last Friday in June of the school year you turn 16. There is no upper age limit, but funding works differently from 25.
-
Government rule
You work in England
At least half your working hours are in England for the whole apprenticeship, including remote and hybrid work.
-
Government rule
You have the right to work in the UK
The training provider checks this and your residency with you. The rules have many cases, so a doubt does not rule you out.
-
Government rule
Not already on funded training
Not on another apprenticeship, a Skills Bootcamp or Adult Skills Fund training. Not a sole trader, not working under IR35, and not a director or owner with nobody above you.
Check if you qualify
A few quick questions. Nothing you pick leaves your device. We do not save it or send it anywhere.
How it works
1. A job
The apprenticeship starts with a permanent PAYE job. You are an employee from day one, paid at least the legal minimum for all your working and training time.
2. A training provider
An approved apprenticeship training provider checks you are eligible and agrees your plan with you and your employer before you start.
3. Train alongside work
Around 15 months of learning, within your normal working hours, with an employer who agrees to give you the time.
4. End-point assessment
A final independent assessment of what you can do. Pass it and you hold the Level 4 apprenticeship.
If you are an employer
- Hiring someone aged 16 to 24: the government pays all the training and assessment costs, up to the funding band, if you do not pay the apprenticeship levy. You pay no contribution.
- Hiring someone aged 25 or over: the government pays 95% of those costs if you do not pay the levy. You pay the other 5%.
- Hiring payment: from 1 October 2026, employers who do not pay the levy can claim £2,000 for a new apprentice aged 16 to 24 who started the job within the past 90 days. Conditions apply, set by the government.
- You still pay the wages. At least the legal minimum for every working and training hour, and the apprentice must be a genuine employee.
Funding rules can change during the year. Always check the current rules before you commit.
Talk to us
Questions about the apprenticeship, or an employer who wants to take someone on? Email us. Say whether you are an applicant or an employer, and we reply from there.
Where this comes from
The government rules above are from the official funding rules, checked on 2 October 2026. The two programme rules are ours. This page is a guide: the training provider confirms your eligibility before anything is signed.