What can young people do to be AI resilient as entry level jobs are being replaced by AI?

The UK technology sector does not have a talent shortage problem, as companies look to make the most of new technology. Cassandra MacDonald, dean of school of technology at education group BPP, argues the industry actually has a talent identification problem.

The industry talks a lot about growth whether that’s new platforms, new products, or new markets. But one of its biggest constraints is far less visible – access to talent.  At the same time as organisations are accelerating digital transformation, a vast pool of young people is struggling to enter the labour market. The result is a stark contradiction at the heart of the UK economy.

Alan Milburn’s interim review on youth employment puts this into perspective. Nearly one million young people are currently not in education, employment or training, costing the UK an estimated £125 billion. Behind that figure sits a more fundamental issue: a mismatch between how talent is developed and how it is hired.

While young people struggle to gain a foothold onto the employment ladder, employers, particularly in technology, continue to report acute skills shortages. A recent Skills England assessment highlights that demand for digital, data, and technology capabilities still far exceeds supply. The challenge is not a lack of capable individuals. It is how organisations identify, assess and develop work-ready talent in a rapidly evolving market.

Breaking the experience gap

A widely held misconception persists that entry into the technology sector requires a computer science degree or extensive coding expertise. In reality, this assumption creates a self-reinforcing cycle: without experience, candidates cannot access roles, and without access, they cannot gain experience. As a result, many young people feel that the technology sector is out of reach before they have even begun.

Yet many entry-level roles do not require advanced technical skills from day one. Roles in project support, customer success, service operations, data operations, quality assurance and platform support rely as much on communication, organisation and problem-solving as they do on technical capability. Technical skills can be taught. Human skills are harder to build and, in an AI-driven world, are increasingly valuable.

Yet hiring practices have not kept pace with this reality. Inflated entry criteria remain common, unintentionally filtering out capable candidates who could succeed with targeted investment and support. For an industry facing ongoing talent shortages, this is a constraint of its own making.

If the sector is serious about expanding its talent pool, it must reconsider its definition of potential. Employers consistently say they need people who can collaborate, communicate clearly, adapt to change and solve problems under pressure. These are not niche capabilities. They are the foundations of effective performance in any technology role.

These skills are often developed well before a young person starts their first “proper job”. Education, part-time work, caring responsibilities, volunteering and extra-curricular activities all build resilience, accountability and teamwork. Yet these experiences are often undervalued in traditional recruitment models, and the advancement of AI in hiring may only widen this gap.

In a sector defined by constant change, adaptability matters as much as technical knowledge. The strongest early-career hires are rarely those who arrive fully formed, but those who can learn quickly, contribute early and grow within the organisation.

Apprenticeships as a strategic lever

One of the most practical ways to address both youth unemployment and skills shortages is through apprenticeships. By combining paid work with structured learning, they enable individuals to build technical capability alongside the human skills needed to apply it. That development happens in a real-world context, aligned to employer needs.

For organisations, this creates a pipeline of engaged, loyal talent shaped to their environment. For individuals, it provides credibility, confidence and a clear route into the sector.

Importantly, apprenticeships challenge the notion that experience must come before opportunity. Instead, they position work as the primary mechanism for learning.

Closing this gap cannot fall to young people alone. Employers have a pivotal role to play in reshaping access to technology careers. This begins with broadening entry criteria and shifting the focus from prior experience to future potential. The question should not just be “who is ready now?” but “who could succeed with the right investment?”. It also requires recruitment processes that look beyond increasingly standardised, AI-assisted applications.

At the same time, young people need the confidence to see themselves as viable candidates for a role in the technology sector. A background in coding is not a prerequisite, nor is having a fully defined career path. Recognising and articulating individual strengths remains the most effective starting point, both in applications and in interviews.

The UK continues to face a paradox: one million young people on the side-lines, alongside an industry struggling to hire. Unless the sector rethinks how it identifies and develops early-career talent, that gap will only grow. Done properly this is not simply solving a social problem. It is a commercial imperative and one that is a necessary condition for the UK’s long-term growth.