As AI continues to transform industries and drive economic growth, the North East is positioning itself as a national leader in AI talent development. With the creation of the new AI Growth Zone, thousands of jobs are expected across the region, alongside the rollout of new training and apprenticeship pathways to build a future-ready workforce.
The North East AI Growth Zone Taskforce is a new coalition of leading universities, industry pioneers, and skills providers, united to transform the region into a powerhouse of AI innovation. Backed by government support, the initiative aims to position the North East as one of Europe’s largest data centre hubs, with a sharp focus on cutting-edge infrastructure, AI-driven growth, and inclusive training and apprenticeship pathways.
The region boasts a holistic AI education and training offer. Our universities and colleges are training thousands of undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students in fields including:
- Advanced computing and data science
- Quantum technologies
- AI ethics and design
- Network engineering for data centre operations
- Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Mining
- Ethical Hacking
- Digital Forensics
- Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity
This ensures that entrepreneurs, researchers, and future employees are equipped to develop, apply, and scale AI solutions that benefit both businesses and society.
In North East England, our five universities offer a network of research groups working in AI and data science. For example, Northumbria University is home to the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence, which trains the next generation of AI researchers and innovators. And Durham University is now at the forefront of AI in the UK thanks to multiple high-value grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The funding allows the university to continue its ground-breaking work in areas like distributed systems, quantum computing, and edge computing.
North East England’s universities are also keen to work directly with companies on the development of data and AI technology. They offer knowledge transfer partnerships as well as collaboration opportunities using UKRI funding.
National leadership in AI apprenticeships
Academic institutions in the North East are also shaping the national technical education landscape, helping to define new AI apprenticeship routes that will support industry needs across the UK. The region is home to the award-winning TechUp programme, which actively encourages underrepresented communities to pursue careers in computing and AI, ensuring inclusive access to opportunity and a diverse talent pipeline.