Digital skills provider CodeClan is set to debut the UK’s first applied agentic AI programme to equip firms for the next wave of AI. Delivered by tech ecosystem builder CodeBase, which relaunched CodeClan last year, in partnership with University of Edinburgh Business School, one of Europe’s leading business schools, and Qwasar Silicon Valley, the US’s leading software engineering school, the 12-week hybrid course enables senior engineers to build, deploy and optimise enterprise-scale agentic AI systems.
We know the successful execution of agentic AI translates to sea change productivity gains, economic uplift and resilience, but we also understand the inherent challenges, so we’ve co-designed a best-of-class programme tapping into expertise from multiple ecosystems aimed at companies who want to be to the forefront of talent readiness and future competitiveness. The initiative bridges the gap between immediate industry demand for data science and AI expertise with the delivery of practical tech skills.Martin Boyle, VP Transformation at CodeBase and CodeClan lead
“Edinburgh is one of the birthplaces of machine learning and AI research and innovation”, added Martin Boyle, “so it’s fitting that this initiative will help to drive Scotland’s role in this hugely important area.”
The programme is aimed at software engineers and technical practitioners who are already comfortable building systems and now want to design AI that can reason, act, and operate with a degree of autonomy.
Professor Gavin Jack, Dean of the University of Edinburgh Business School, said: “Upskilling and reskilling expert developers, engineers and data scientists is vital to maintaining a thriving AI ecosystem. By empowering companies to create their own AI agents, this course is important in understanding how AI can be used in practice to inform and shape the future of responsible, impactful AI adoption.”
Cohort participants will gain practical experience in: agentic AI architecture and design principles; engineering and LLM optimisation techniques; multi-agent orchestration and and intelligent task automation; retrieval-augmented generation for enterprise search and knowledge systems; AI governance, compliance and security fundamentals; scalable deployment strategies for production-grade AI systems; taking concept prototype to deployed agentic solution, and; developing a fully deployable agentic AI tool tailored to the needs of the participant’s organisation."
Iain Mackie, Co-founder and CEO at Malted AI, one of Scotland’s leading VC-backed AI scaleups, said: “Agentic systems are the next step-change in how software gets built and how organisations operate, but the real advantage will go to teams who can engineer these systems safely, reliably and at scale. This programme is exactly the kind of collaboration Scotland needs to keep pushing - bringing industry, academia and delivery partners together to turn world-class talent into real-world capability, and move from exciting prototypes to deployed systems that deliver measurable value.”
With the first cohort beginning in March, participants will spend between 5-10 hours on the course every week, including a weekly 3-hour workshop. In-person workshops will take place at the Edinburgh Futures Institute in the first and final weeks of the programme.
Marion Thain, Director of Edinburgh Futures Institute, said: “Edinburgh Futures Institute is working with partners across the University of Edinburgh to ensure the University can better meet the upskilling and reskilling needs of the population in relation to AI. We are particularly committed to ensuring a training that puts social responsibility at the heart of economic development.”
Delivery takes place through live, instructor-led sessions with active participation expected. The cohort will spend time building and experimenting between sessions, with the pace of the programme designed to align with an individual’s full-time role. The cost for the Applied Agentic AI programme, which is open to applicants across the UK and Europe, is £3,500. Applications are now open and will close at the end of February. There are expected to be a maximum of 50 people in the first cohort.
For companies and individuals who want to find out more about CodeClan’s Applied Agentic AI programme and how to apply, please visit Codeclan's website.