CAREER PATHWAY
AI Engineer
Build skills for developing AI applications, generative AI solutions and intelligent agents using modern cloud AI technologies.
- Start level
- Beginner
- Estimated duration
- 3–6 months
- Certifications
- 2 certifications
Starts with AI-901 in this pathway.
About this learning pathway
Follow a structured learning pathway designed to build practical skills relevant to AI engineering. Develop your understanding of artificial intelligence fundamentals before progressing to generative AI applications, AI agents and cloud-based AI solutions. This pathway brings together relevant SkillsNest certifications and training to help you plan your learning and certification goals.
Who this pathway is for
Designed for career changers, students, developers and IT professionals who want to build skills relevant to AI engineering and the development of modern AI applications.
Your learning journey
These certifications are organised to support progression toward related skills. Complete them in an order that matches your experience.
Stage 1
AI Foundations
Build foundational knowledge of artificial intelligence concepts and common AI workloads before progressing to AI application development.
- Study time
- 4-6 weeks
- Lessons
- 16
- Questions
- 375
- Mocks
- 4
Stage 2
AI Applications & Agents
Develop practical skills for building AI applications and agents, including generative AI, agentic solutions, language, vision and information extraction on Azure.
- Study time
- 6–8 weeks
- Lessons
- 26
- Questions
- 160
Career opportunities & salary potential
Explore roles that may align with the skills developed through this pathway.
AI Engineer
Designs, builds and deploys AI-powered applications and solutions using machine learning, generative AI, language models and cloud AI services.
Indicative salary range
£44,000 – £78,000
per year
Salary source: Glassdoor · Checked 23 Sept 2026
Salary ranges are indicative and can vary by experience, location, employer and specialism.
Ready to continue your learning journey?
Explore relevant certifications or start with the first certification in this pathway.
SkillsNest Premium provides access to included learning and practice resources. Official certification exam vouchers and separately supplied lab products are not included and may be available separately in the future.
SkillsNest Career Pathways are designed to help you plan relevant learning and certification goals. Completing a pathway does not guarantee employment, promotion or any specific career outcome.