Re-imagining The First Job in the Age of AI
First Jobs and AI
In my last blog, we explored how entry-level roles are changing — and how different today’s landscape looks compared to when we “earned our stripes” through months of admin and monotonous tasks. Filing, spreadsheets, data entry… not glamorous, but it gave us a start.
That world is disappearing. AI handles the grunt work now, and with it the very foundation of what used to be considered a “graduate job.” Which leaves us with a big question: what comes next?
Do we need to let go of the traditional graduate job?
For years, graduates have sought out specific “programmes” at big companies — well-worn pathways designed to soak up new talent. But as businesses switch from treating graduates as cheap resource to seeing them as potential future leaders, these programmes will shrink dramatically.
Instead of hundreds of new graduates joining, companies may only hire a handful — fast-tracked into leadership.
So where does that leave the majority of students leaving university?
It means the future won’t be about waiting for a big-name graduate scheme to appear. It will be about finding meaningful entry-level roles — roles that may not carry the graduate label but that can bridge the gap between uni and work. Businesses may need to step up here, offering training, incubators, and year-in-industry style placements that help young people adapt.
Do we need to let go of the traditional ‘graduate job’
For years, graduates have sought out specific programmes at big companies — well-worn pathways designed to soak up new talent. But as businesses switch from treating graduates as cheap resource to seeing them as potential future leaders, these programmes will shrink dramatically.
Instead of hundreds of graduates joining, companies may only hire a handful — fast-tracked into leadership.
So where does that leave the majority of students leaving university?
It means the future won’t be about waiting for a big-name graduate scheme to appear. It will be about finding meaningful entry-level roles — roles that may not carry the graduate label but that can bridge the gap between university and work. Businesses may need to step up here, offering training, incubators, and year-in-industry style placements that help young people adapt.
From Dogsbody to Incubator
If we let go of the old model, then the new first job must be designed with intention. Not admin. Not dogsbody tasks. But a carefully structured incubator — a launchpad for growth.
What would that look like? I’d suggest the core components are:
4–6 week missions → project-based tasks that add real value.
Teamwork at the core → solving problems collaboratively, not in isolation.
Leadership exposure → presenting back to senior leaders, gaining visibility.
Mentorship and sponsorship → not just managers, but leaders who guide and champion.
Strategic thinking → tackling real business problems, not theoretical case studies.
We’ve seen this in action with our own Achievers scheme: nominated individuals, often younger talent, come together to work on real business problems, supported by mentors and sponsors. The results are impressive. It’s not about filling a resource gap — it’s about building confidence, creativity, and leadership potential.
This is the future shape of graduate development.
The Apprenticeship Advantage
At the same time, apprenticeships are proving themselves to be one of the most valuable pathways into work.
We’ve had an apprentice in our team for two years, and their journey has been transformative. While graduates on rotation often move on after a few months, our apprentice has stayed, building a craft, becoming integral to the team, and contributing value quickly.
For them, the advantages are clear: earning while learning, avoiding £40,000 of debt, and gaining a qualification alongside real experience. For us, it’s equally powerful — they’ve grown with the business, not just passed through.
If apprenticeships are already harder to get into than Oxford or Cambridge in some sectors, then businesses need to catch up by creating more of them — meaningful, structured roles that offer progression, mentorship, and credibility.
What new first jobs could look like
If admin is gone, what does an entry-level role look like in practice? We’re already seeing new roles emerge:
AI Agent Designers – building and managing automated tools to reduce admin.
Knowledge Curators – maintaining accurate, ethical data for AI systems.
Experience Architects – blending human and AI interaction to design better journeys.
Prompt Strategists – shaping the questions and ideas that unlock AI’s potential.
Ethics Stewards – monitoring fairness and responsibility in automation.
Operational Optimisers – finding inefficiencies and designing solutions.
These aren’t futuristic ideas. They’re already appearing in forward-thinking businesses.
“That all sounds great Jo but what should businesses and parents/teens be doing to prepare for the changing first role?”
Here’s some practical tips to get started
For businesses:
Redesign graduate schemes as incubators → no more admin-heavy rotations. Focus on 4–6 week missions that add value, with senior mentorship and sponsorship built in.
Offer incubator-style experiences earlier → summer schools, year-in-industry placements, and apprenticeships designed around problem-solving, teamwork, and exposure to leaders.
Train on the job → for entry-level hires outside formal schemes, provide structured learning and mentorship so they’re not left to “sink or swim.”
Broaden entry points → look beyond graduate labels. Create pathways for school-leavers, apprentices, or career-switchers who bring curiosity and adaptability.
For parents and teens:
Look Let go of the ‘graduate scheme or bust’ mindset → a degree certificate no longer guarantees a graduate job.
Explore wider pathways → apprenticeships, placements, incubator-style programmes, and structured entry-level roles can all offer powerful starts.
Seek meaningful experience early → summer schools, internships, or part-time roles that involve problem-solving and teamwork are valuable stepping stones.
Prioritise skills over titles → the name of the role matters less than whether it builds creativity, leadership, and strategic thinking.
Closing: The Future of the First Job
The graduate job as we once knew it — once plentiful, once guaranteed with a degree, and built on years of admin slog — is fading fast.
In my view, the future belongs to incubators: short, meaningful, mentored experiences that prepare young people for leadership and creativity. Sometimes these will sit inside a graduate scheme. Sometimes they’ll look like an apprenticeship, a year-in-industry, or even a well-designed entry-level role with built-in support.
For businesses, the challenge is to design these incubators with intention. For parents and young people, the challenge is to stop chasing titles and start chasing experiences that build the skills AI can’t replace.
Because the first job is no longer a given. But if we get this right, it can be more powerful — and more transformative — than ever before.