UK expands free AI training push for workers

The UK government is expanding its AI Skills Boost programme, making free, benchmarked AI foundations courses available to every adult in the UK through the AI Skills Hub. The initiative aims to upskill 10 million workers by 2030, including at least 2 million SME employees, with courses that can take as little as under 20 minutes and cover practical workplace tasks such as drafting text, creating content and completing administrative work.

Skills England has checked selected industry-developed courses against its AI foundation skills for work benchmark, and learners who complete eligible training will receive a virtual AI foundations badge. The programme has already delivered one million courses since June, with new partners including the NHS, techUK, Cisco, Cognizant, CBI, FSB, Multiverse and Pax8 joining founding partners such as Accenture, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Salesforce.

The government is also creating an AI and the Future of Work Unit to monitor AI’s economic and labour market effects and advise on policy responses. Alongside that, £27 million will support the TechLocal scheme, part of the £187 million TechFirst programme, to help employers fill or create up to 1,000 tech jobs and fund new AI courses, graduate traineeships and work experience opportunities.