AI & Data Academy with EY - Assured Skills Academies - Application Form

Overview

EY AI & Data Academy

Overview

At EY, our purpose is to build a better working world. The insights and solutions we provide help to create long-term value for our clients, people and society, and to build trust with our clients.  We play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.  

The AI & Data team in Northern Ireland delivers cutting-edge AI, automation and enterprise data analytics for our clients, driving performance improvement in services and operational functions across a variety of sectors. Our team deliver and support the AI and data requirements of clients undergoing transformational projects to enable them to deliver data-driven optimisation throughout their organisation using a range of AI technologies and automation tools.

If you would like to be part of our AI & Data team, our academy is an excellent opportunity to acquire much sought-after skills, in areas such as AI, cloud and data fundamentals, data management, data visualisation and business analysis.

We welcome applicants with a Foundation Degree or above in any discipline. Join us in a dynamic and collaborative environment where your ideas matter.

The AI & Data Academy with EY is an eight-week intensive training course.

Training for successful applicants will take place onsite at Belfast Metropolitan College Campuses with some online tuition.

If you are selected for the academy, you will receive practical skills, training and industry recognised qualifications in areas such as:

• DevOps
• SQL and relational databases
• Python
• PowerBI
• Large Language Models and Agentic AI
• Databricks

If you successfully complete the academy, you will be guaranteed an interview for a Technology Consulting role within EY.

Please note that successful completion of the academy is not a guarantee of gaining employment.

Applications for the AI & Data Academy with EY are now open, with 20 training places available.

Those taking part will get a weekly training allowance of £180 for the length of the Academy, as well as help with travelling and childcare costs where people qualify.

Essential Criteria 

Applicants must:

• be at least 18 years old at 2 March 2026.
• have been awarded at least a foundation degree in any subject at the point of application.
• have a right to work and to undertake Assured Skills Training in the UK at the point of application and not be disqualified from doing either by reason of their immigration status.** Proof of this status will be required to progress to interview.
• have appropriate IT access to link to online tuition.

Evidence of these criteria will be required no later than Monday 19^th January 2026.

**Applicants should be aware that the company may apply additional right to work criteria at the point of employment, and a job offer is not guaranteed.

Desirable Criteria

• A Foundation Degree or above in a STEM discipline
• Hold a valid right to work in both the UK and EU. As EY work with global clients, some of the roles will require candidates to work across both jurisdictions.
• Be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance.  This requires a minimum of five years’ residency in the UK. For more information visit www.gov.uk/National security vetting: clearance levels  

Shortlisting Criteria

In the event of a large number of applications being received EY reserve the right to enhance the minimum criteria, by taking into consideration some or all of the desirable criteria.

If in full-time employment or living outside Northern Ireland – by accepting an offer of a place on this pre-employment training Academy, you are committing to attending training and pursuing a job opportunity with EY based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Applicants will be asked to provide proof of qualification before attending an interview.

Applications must be submitted by noon on 19^th January 2026.

The selection process will entail completion of an online assessment and an interview.  Interviews will be conducted between 3^rd and 5^th of February 2026.

An information session for those invited to interview will be held on 29^th January 2026, with the opportunity to meet representatives from the Department for the Economy, EY and Belfast Metropolitan College.  At the information session you will hear more about the available job roles within EY.

If you are offered a place on the Academy, you will also be required to complete other personal checks on your identification, academic qualifications, previous employment amongst others and it is expected that you will provide the required information within the specified timeframe.

The Academy training commences on 2^nd March 2026 and finishes on 28^th April 2026.

The college will be closed and there will be no classes on Tuesday 17^th March and on Monday 6^th April.  Applicants should be available to attend full-time, in person for the entire duration of the training period and any pre-scheduled commitments should be listed in your application.  Training is 9.00 am – 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday for the duration of the Academy.  Applicants need to be able to commit to the full-time training as outlined above and be available for any on-site training that is required.

You will be entitled to claim travel expenses in relation to travel to and from BMC Campuses. Successful applicants will require appropriate IT access in order to link to the online tuition. 

All trainees who are offered a job with EY will have to go through intense screening and checks as part of the onboarding process. This includes Fit and Proper, Independence and Medical and pre-employment checks. 

If successful, and checks have been completed, you will commence employment with EY on 18^th May 2026 and will receive a competitive graduate-level salary, in addition to generous company benefits and extensive learning and development opportunities.

You need to complete all the following questions.  If you have any problems, please contact assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk and put AI & Data Academy with EY in the subject line.

Applications Open

Applications are welcome from everyone who meets the essential criteria and are particularly welcome from persons returning to work from a period of caring for their children or other family members.

If you have a disability and require assistance in completing this form please email Assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk or by telephoning 028 9041 6972.

Correspondence Regarding Your Application

All correspondence relating to your application will be via email from assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk. It is your responsibility as applicant to act as required within the given time frame.

Email whitelisting helps ensure that important messages from known senders won’t end up in the spam folder.

To whitelist the assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk email address, you may wish to:

• Open your email client and navigate to the settings.
• Find the option to create a new filter or add a new contact.
• Add the email address assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk as a known contact/safe sender
• Save the changes.

The exact steps may vary depending on the email client you are using.

If you do not receive an email about your application by Monday 26^th January 2026 please contact assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk and put AI & Data Academy with EY in the subject line.

To find out how we manage your information please see privacy notice below:

https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/publications/assured-skills-academies-privacy-notice

If you wish to make a complaint about the Assured Skills programme, please email assured.skills@economy-ni.gov.uk or telephone 028 9041 6941.