Government backs IN4 digital youth drive

A programme designed by Blackburn entrepreneur Mo Isap to prevent young people from falling into the not in education, employment or training (NEET) category has been backed by the government.

The pilot scheme will launch this summer and will create a clear pathway for 16-year-olds toward guaranteed employment as digital apprentices.

Announced during London Tech Week by the Department for Science and Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the pilot led by Mo’s IN4 Group will begin with 60 young people aged 16 at risk of becoming NEET.

A report last week, led by  former health secretary Alan Milburn revealed almost one million young people are currently classified as not in education, employment or training.

The  newAI Native Youth pilot will cover five local areas in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, with support from local employers including JD Sports, BAE Systems, PA Consulting, and Agilisys, as well as Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, Wigan, Blackpool and Oldham councils.

A minimum of 10 young people aged 16 from each area will then start a £18,000 AI apprenticeship in September.

Designed by Mo Isap, AI Native Youth aims to tackle the uncertainties that push young people out of education, employment or training after school and college.

Starting in Key Stage 4, it runs as a two‑year ‘AI super curriculum’ from Year 10 to Year 11, delivered alongside the existing timetable through IN4’s MEGA Hubs. 

With hubs across Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Blackpool, the North West of England will act as the lead region for AI Native Youth.

IN4 says it will show how schools, local authorities and employers can work together to tackle the NEET challenge at scale and at pace.

Mo Isap, chief executive of IN4 Group, said: “You can’t fix a million young people at risk of becoming NEET by tinkering around the edges. We have to disrupt the system.

“AI Native Youth gives young people a clear, paid pathway from school into high‑value digital apprenticeships, starting in Year 10 and carrying them through to their first proper role. We are turning a group that is often seen as a problem into a generation we put on a pedestal.

“We’ve spent years building the MEGA Hubs, the school relationships, the local authorities and employer partnerships across Lancashire.

“Now, with backing from DSIT and support from our regional partners, we can prove the model this summer and then scale it nationally so that 1,000 young people don’t just avoid becoming NEET, they become the AI‑native talent our economy needs.”

Kanishka Narayan, government AI minister, said: “We are ensuring young people get the support and backing they need to realise their full potential and build rewarding careers in technology and AI.

“By partnering with IN4 Group to deliver this first-of-its-kind AI apprenticeship programme in the North West, we are opening up, high-quality AI job opportunities for young people who are most at risk of leaving education and facing unemployment.

“We'll work together to help more young people take their first steps into lasting careers in technology, right from within their own communities.”