Something is shifting in how teams bring new talent in. Apprenticeships have risen from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025, according to the GOV.UK AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report. That is a big jump in five years, and it tells us employers are no longer waiting for ready-made experts. They are growing their own.
The pressure to do this is real. Over 50% of manufacturers cite skills shortages as the main barrier to AI adoption, and only 2% say AI is widely embedded across their operations, reports The Manufacturer, drawing on Make UK research. So the technology is arriving faster than the skills to run it. Apprenticeships are one answer to that gap, and the data suggests more firms are reaching the same conclusion.
The roles are changing shape, not disappearing. Six in ten (59%) manufacturers cited automation and half (50%) cited wider digitalisation as trends changing jobs and skills needs, and 74% expect demand for cognitive and meta-cognitive skills to increase by 2030, according to Make UK's 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap report. In plain terms, meta-cognitive skills mean thinking about how you think: planning, reflecting and adapting.
That is exactly the kind of learning an AI agent speeds up. When an agent handles the repetitive checks and surfaces a worked example on request, an apprentice spends less time on busywork and more time on judgement. They see a correct pattern, then try it, then adjust. The agent becomes a patient second pair of hands, and the human builds the cognitive skills that the data says matter most by 2030.
The appetite to invest in people is there too. 40% of manufacturers are looking to upskill their existing workforce, specifically for redeployment as a result of automation and digitalisation, and that figure increases for firms with more than 1,000 employees, reports Make UK's Executive Survey 2026. Apprentices and existing staff learning beside agents are two sides of the same move.
Start by hiring for the capacity to learn, not just the current skillset. With 74% of manufacturers expecting demand for cognitive and meta-cognitive skills to increase by 2030, as Make UK reports, curiosity and adaptability often beat a long tool list that may date quickly. Ask how someone solved a problem they had never seen before.
Next, pair every new hire with both a mentor and the right agents from day one. Since only 2% of manufacturers say AI is widely embedded across their operations, per The Manufacturer, most teams are learning the technology together. An apprentice who works beside agents early becomes a source of fresh practice, not just a recipient of it.
When you are ready to hire the people who will learn and lead beside your agents, we can help you move quickly. We search 15 million candidates and return a ranked shortlist in under 30 seconds, so you spend your time on the conversations that matter.
Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. That fee is about one thing: finding the right person for your automation team and handling the whole process so you can focus on the work. Tell us the role today and see your first shortlist with Reed.ai.
