CodeClan launches the UK’s first Applied Agentic AI programme to help organisations build in-house AI capability

Agentic AI is moving fast, and it is changing what modern software can do.

We are already seeing systems that can plan, reason, take action, and automate workflows with minimal human input. For organisations, the opportunity is huge. Done well, agentic AI can unlock step-change productivity gains, stronger operational resilience, and new ways to deliver value. But the reality is that many teams are still stuck in experimentation mode, unable to turn early prototypes into production-ready systems.

At CodeBase, we work closely with startups, scaleups, enterprise teams, and ecosystem partners across Scotland and beyond. A consistent theme keeps coming up: organisations want to move quickly, but they need the skills and confidence to implement agentic AI reliably and at scale.

That is why we are proud to deliver CodeClan’s new Applied Agentic AI programme, the UK’s first programme of its kind, created to equip firms for the next wave of AI.

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A practical programme built for real delivery

Applied Agentic AI is a 12-week, hybrid programme designed for engineers and technical practitioners who are already comfortable building systems and now want to design AI that can operate with a degree of autonomy.

This is not a high-level overview of AI. It is a build-led, enterprise-focused course where participants spend their time designing and implementing real agentic AI systems, with live instruction, active participation, and hands-on work between workshops.

The first cohort begins in March 2026, with participants committing around 5–10 hours per week, including a weekly 3-hour workshop. Workshops are held on Wednesday afternoons, with the first and final sessions delivered in person at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh.

The programme is setup with an intake of maximum 50 participants in the first cohort.

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Why agentic AI matters for organisations now

Agentic AI is designed to optimise how work gets done.

The real value comes when teams can engineer systems that take meaningful action, begetting results beyond just generating outputs. That requires more than prompt-writing. It requires robust system design, orchestration, testing, deployment thinking, and a clear understanding of how these systems behave in real environments.

As Martin Boyle, VP Transformation at CodeBase and CodeClan lead, put it:

“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 message is that the organisations that build capability now will be better positioned to compete and lead in the future.

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Delivered in partnership with world-class expertise

This programme brings together expertise from across industry and academia.

Applied Agentic AI is delivered by CodeBase, in partnership with University of Edinburgh Business School, one of Europe’s leading business schools, and Qwasar Silicon Valley, one of US’s leading software engineering school.

The University of Edinburgh is also deeply connected to the city’s role as a global centre for AI and machine learning research. As Martin Boyle noted, “Edinburgh is one of the birthplaces of machine learning and AI research and innovation”, making it a fitting place to help drive Scotland’s role in this hugely important area.

Professor Gavin Jack, Dean of the University of Edinburgh Business School, highlighted the wider importance of upskilling experienced practitioners:

“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.”

And the in-person workshops will take place at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, which is focused on ensuring AI training supports responsible growth.

‍Marion Thain, Director of Edinburgh Futures Institute, said: “We are particularly committed to ensuring a training that puts social responsibility at the heart of economic development.”

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What participants will learn

Applied Agentic AI is built to help engineers move from interest to implementation. Participants gain practical experience in:

• Agentic AI architecture and design principles
• Engineering and LLM optimisation techniques
• Multi-agent orchestration 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
• Moving from concept prototype to deployed agentic solution
• Developing a fully deployable agentic AI tool tailored to their organisation’s needs

The focus is enterprise-ready skills. Not just understanding what agentic AI is, but knowing how to build it in practice.

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Why this matters for teams and employers

Agentic AI will reward the organisations that can deliver it safely and at scale.

Iain Mackie, Co-founder and CEO at Malted AI, captured this clearly:

“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 designed to help teams move beyond prototypes and into deployed systems that deliver measurable value.

For employers, it is also a strategic way to strengthen internal capability. Upskilling existing engineers reduces dependency on external support and creates a stronger foundation for long-term innovation.

For individual practitioners, it is an opportunity to deepen technical capability in one of the fastest-moving areas of modern engineering, while building alongside peers who are operating at a similar level.

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Applications now open

Applications for the first cohort are now open and will close on the 25th of February, 2026.

If you are an engineer, technical practitioner, or organisation looking to build real agentic AI capability, this programme is designed for you.

Learn more and apply: https://codeclan.com/applied-agentic-ai

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