AI and journalism skills that get people hired.

Funded training for young people not in work or education, and for anyone who has been unemployed for a long time. Our learners build the AI tools businesses need and tell the stories their communities need, and we support them all the way into paid work.

Apply for training Hire our graduates

Nearly a million young people are shut out of work.

The number of young people not in education, employment or training passed one million earlier this year for the first time in 13 years. Most of them are not lazy or unwilling. They are missing a first step, a skill employers recognise, and someone in their corner.

981,000

16 to 24 year olds in the UK are not in education, employment or training. That is 13% of the age group.

588,000

of them are not even looking for work, often because of confidence, health or caring responsibilities.

21%

of working-age adults are economically inactive, and UK unemployment is close to 5%.

Sources: ONS, young people not in education, employment or training, April to June 2026. ONS labour market figures, three months to April 2026.

Businesses are adopting AI faster than they can find the skills.

AI is moving from a novelty to a normal part of running a business. Firms that use it well save hours every week, but most are only scratching the surface, and many say they do not have anyone who knows how to make it work. That gap is a real opportunity for people looking for their way into work.

35%

of UK businesses with 10 or more staff now use AI, up from around 12% at the end of 2023.

5.2 hrs

saved every week, on average, by small businesses that use AI.

10%

of businesses using AI describe their use as extensive. Most are only just getting started.

Sources: ONS, Artificial intelligence in UK businesses, 2023 to 2026. Enterprise Nation and OpenAI SME survey, March 2026.

Four programmes. Each one ends in real work.

AI Builders

Twelve weeks learning to build AI assistants and automations, finishing with a tool for a real business.

Explore

Media & Journalism

Ten weeks of reporting, video, audio and fact-checking, with your work published.

Explore

Night School

Small business owners build their own AI tool on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, over five or eight weeks.

Explore

Supported Employment

Employers meet our graduates, then hire them or commission a project.

Explore

From first conversation to first pay slip.

Week 0

Join

A relaxed chat. We sort travel, a laptop and any support you need.

Weeks 1 to 8

Learn

Small groups, three days a week, with an industry mentor.

Weeks 9 to 12

Build

A live project for a local business.

After

Work

A job or paid contract, with six months of support.

For learners

Aged 16 to 24 and not in work, education or training
Or out of work for 12 months or more
No cost to you, with travel, lunch and a laptop provided

Apply

For employers

Read candidate profiles before you meet
Hire full-time with six months of mentoring included
Or commission an app built by a graduate

Meet the candidates

AI Builders

A fully funded 12-week programme. Learn how AI works, build tools that save businesses time, and graduate ready to lead AI work for an employer.

Apply for the next cohort

Length12 weeks

WhenTue to Thu, 10am to 3pm

Group sizeUp to 14

FundingGovernment and local council

What you’ll learn

No coding background needed.

Weeks 1 to 2

How AI works

How language models work, how to write good prompts, and how to spot when the answer is wrong.

Weeks 3 to 4

Automation

Connect email, forms and spreadsheets so routine work happens on its own.

Weeks 5 to 7

Building assistants

Assistants that answer questions from a business’s own documents.

Week 8

Responsible AI

Data protection, bias and writing a simple AI policy for a team.

Weeks 9 to 12

Client project

Build and present a working tool for a local business, then prepare for interviews.

Tools you’ll use

Learners work with the same tools professional teams use to build and launch AI products.

Claude

An AI assistant for writing, research, analysis and building tools.

OpenAI

ChatGPT and the OpenAI API, for assistants and automation.

GitHub

Storing code, tracking changes and working as a team.

Vercel

Putting websites and apps live in minutes.

Supabase

Databases and user logins for the apps you build.

Resend

Sending emails automatically from your apps.

fal

Creating images, audio and video with AI.

Cloudflare

Domains, security and email routing.

Why these skills matter

A third of UK businesses with 10 or more staff now use AI, and small firms that use it save around five hours a week. But only one in ten businesses using AI say they use it extensively. Most know they should be doing more and do not have anyone to lead it.

That is the gap our graduates fill. You do not need to be a programmer. You need to understand how these tools work, where they go wrong, and how to fit them around the way a real business runs. Those skills are in short supply and easy for an employer to see in a portfolio.

Where it can lead

AI and automation assistant in a small business
Junior developer or digital apprentice
Operations or administration role with AI responsibilities
Digital marketing with AI tools
Freelance AI projects through our Supported Employment team

How we support you

Weekly mentor

Someone working in technology meets you every week to help with your projects and your plans.

Help with the basics

Travel and lunch are covered, and we can lend you a laptop. A support worker is on hand for anything that gets in the way.

A route into work

When you finish, you join our Supported Employment list and we introduce you to employers and paying clients.

Media & Journalism

A fully funded 10-week course in finding stories, checking facts and telling them well in writing, video and audio. Your best work is published.

Apply now

Length10 weeks

WhenMon and Fri, 10am to 3pm

Group sizeUp to 12

FundingGovernment and local council

What you’ll learn

Weeks 1 to 2

Finding the story

News values, interviewing and writing to a deadline.

Weeks 3 to 4

Verification

Checking images, video and claims, and using AI for research without trusting it blindly.

Weeks 5 to 6

Video and audio

Short video on a phone, podcasts, transcription and captions.

Weeks 7 to 8

Media law and ethics

Defamation, contempt of court, privacy and the Editors’ Code.

Weeks 9 to 10

Your portfolio

A published feature, pitching to editors and freelance basics.

Why journalism skills matter now

AI can write a paragraph in seconds, which makes people who can check facts, find real sources and tell a story honestly more valuable, not less. UK news employers say the skills they most want from new recruits include fact-checking and spotting when AI has got something wrong.

Newsrooms are also struggling to keep up. In a 2026 international study, 61% of news organisations said a lack of AI skills was slowing them down, and the same share offered no formal training to their staff. Our learners leave with both: sound journalism and a confident, careful approach to AI.

Where it can lead

Trainee or community reporter
Content producer or social media editor
Podcast or video producer
Communications officer for a charity or council
Freelance writing and video work

Sources: NCTJ, The use of artificial intelligence in journalism, 2026. FT Strategies and WAN-IFRA, Future Newsrooms Study, 2026.

Case study: from student journalist to CNN

Leah Collins was mentored as a student journalist by Justin Hopper, one of our founders. Her stories were published on La Vida Liverpool, and one, about an attack victim campaigning for stricter sentencing, was picked up by BBC North West Tonight.

Leah went on to work for CNN and Newsquest. Our Media & Journalism programme follows the same approach: real stories, real editors, and work published in your name.

Night School

For small business owners. One evening a week, on Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 6.30pm, over five or eight weeks. Bring a laptop and one task that takes too much of your time, and leave with an AI tool you built yourself.

Reserve a place

WhenTuesday or Wednesday evenings

Time6.30pm to 9.30pm

Length5 weeks or 8 weeks

Group sizeUp to 12

Why bring AI into your business?

Small businesses that use AI well are getting back hours every week. AI use among small firms has almost tripled in two years, from 20% in 2023 to 55% today. But nine in ten owners also say they have concerns, and most are unsure where to start. Night School gives you a clear, safe starting point, with tutors beside you.

5.2 hrs

saved each week, on average, by small businesses using AI.

55%

of small firms now use AI in some form, up from 20% in 2023.

45%

of small businesses using AI say saving time is the biggest benefit, followed by fewer errors and lower costs.

Sources: Enterprise Nation and OpenAI SME survey, March 2026. Federation of Small Businesses, 2026.

Tools we can help you build

Every business is different, so you choose the tool. Here are some of the tools we can help you build.

Customer question assistant

Answers common questions about your prices, opening hours and policies, in your own tone of voice.

Enquiry and booking handler

Sorts new enquiries, drafts replies for you to check, and keeps your booking diary up to date.

Quotes and invoices

Turns a few notes into a professional quote, and sends polite reminders when invoices are overdue.

Social media planner

Plans a month of posts from your news and offers, ready for you to edit and approve.

Review responder

Drafts thoughtful replies to online reviews so none go unanswered.

Staff handbook assistant

Lets your team ask questions about procedures and policies instead of interrupting you.

Stock and order alerts

Warns you when supplies run low and drafts the order to your supplier.

Reports in plain English

Summarises your sales, spending or bookings each week so you can see what is changing.

Proposals and bid writing

Helps you write tenders, grant applications and proposals faster, from your own material.

Choose your course

Prices

Every fee goes back into our training programmes.

Funded place

£0

For sole traders and micro-businesses in priority areas.

5-week course

£295

Five evenings, materials and six weeks of follow-up help.

8-week course

£445

Eight evenings, with more build time and one-to-one support.

Placeholder prices.

Who it’s for

Owners and managers of small businesses, shops, trades and charities
Sole traders who want time back for paying work
Complete beginners. If you can use email, you can do this

What you take away

A working AI tool, set up on your own accounts
A simple AI policy for your staff
The confidence to keep improving it yourself
Follow-up help by email after the course

Supported Employment

Every candidate here has finished our training and built real work for real businesses. Hire them into a full-time role, or give them a paid project that they deliver with our senior developers alongside.

In a 2026 government survey, more than a quarter of organisations said a shortage of technical skills was holding back their goals. Our candidates bring practical AI and media skills, a portfolio you can look at before you meet, and the determination that comes from finding a way back into work. We stay involved after they start, so you are never on your own.

Hire full-time

Informal meetings instead of panel interviews
Six months of mentoring for your new starter
No recruitment fee

Commission a project

Bring an app or AI tool your business needs
The candidate builds it with a senior developer
You pay a fair rate and we check the quality

Hire a journalist

Hire a journalist with specialist journalism training who already carries a BJA press card. Our Media & Journalism graduates can report, interview, fact-check, and produce video and audio, and they understand media law and how to use AI responsibly.

Hire a journalist

Meet the candidates

AI Builders and Media & Journalism graduates, ready for full-time roles or paid projects.

These are example profiles.

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t.

Build My Future is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company. We help people who have been shut out of work into skilled jobs in AI and media, and we help small businesses use AI with confidence.

Why we exist

Nearly a million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training, and hundreds of thousands more adults have been out of work for a long time. At the same time, AI is changing which skills employers pay for, and quickly.

Most AI training goes to people who already have jobs. We think the people furthest from work should be first in line, not last. With the right support, they can become the people businesses turn to when they want to use AI well.

Why AI and media

A third of UK businesses with 10 or more staff now use AI, and most say they are only getting started. Up to three million UK jobs could change or disappear over the next decade because of AI and automation, while new roles appear for people who can use these tools well.

Media and journalism matter for the same reason. When anyone can produce content in seconds, people who can check facts and tell a true story clearly are worth more than ever.

Sources: ONS, 2026. National Foundation for Educational Research.

How we work

Practical from day one

Learners build real tools and publish real work. Every programme ends with a project for a real business or a real audience.

Support that fits around life

Small groups, a weekly mentor, travel and lunch covered, laptops on loan, and a support worker for anything that gets in the way.

Connected to work

We work with employers from the start, so training leads to interviews, paid projects and jobs. We stay involved for six months after someone starts work.

Who we work with

Young people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training
Adults who have been out of work for 12 months or more
Work coaches, youth services, councils and charities who refer people to us
Employers looking for practical AI and media skills
Small business owners through our Night School

How we’re funded

There is no cost to learners. Our programmes are funded by government and the local council, with support from partners and sponsors, and through our Night School for business owners. As a Community Interest Company, our profits are locked to our mission, so every Night School fee goes straight back into our training programmes.

Partner with us

Meet the founders

Justin Hopper

Media, journalism and community

Justin is a journalist, PR specialist and community champion from the Liverpool City Region. Through La Vida Liverpool he has helped hundreds of independent businesses, charities, CICs and creatives with high-quality, low-cost marketing and PR, and secured thousands of positive news stories in local, regional and national outlets. His campaigns have helped raise more than £1.5 million for charities and causes.

Mentors student journalists from City of Liverpool College and the University of Liverpool, helping them get published. One went on to work for CNN and Newsquest
Arranged work experience for 14 young people from Weatherhead, Prenton High School for Girls and Wirral Grammar, and gives careers talks and guest lectures, including at Liverpool Hope University
Led the marketing, PR and crowdfunding for Prenton Rugby Club’s £1.3 million community hub, with national coverage including England Rugby
Took the Justice for Witches petition from 3,000 to 13,000 signatures and on to Parliament, with coverage from the BBC
Curated Liverpool Book Festival, placed third for Event or Festival of the Year at the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards
Has hosted community events of up to 5,000 people and hundreds of radio interviews and podcasts, and is an ambassador for Reverse North West CIC

Martin Hawthorne

Business growth, systems and partnerships

Martin has spent 30 years helping businesses grow, from small independents to national networks. He has led national teams, built the systems and training that help people do their best work, and mentored more than 15 growing businesses. That experience shapes how Build My Future works with employers, and how Night School helps owners get real results.

Martin also gives his time to charities and his community. He has helped charities including Refurbs, Roy Castle Foundation, HAFS and United Giving build and improve their systems and processes, and is a former Chairman of the Cathie Stankevitch Foundation. In the rugby league community, he hosts exceptional children and families so they can meet players, enjoy exclusive events and watch games.

30 years growing businesses and leading national teams
Helped numerous charities improve their systems and processes
Supports exceptional children and families through rugby league
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and adviser to a UK Parliamentary select committee

Get involved

Tell us who you are, or email help@buildmyfuture.org. We’ll reply within two working days.