UK launches AI skills drive for workers and schoolchildren

The UK government is to team up with tech-giants including Google, Microsoft and Amazon to train 7.5 million workers in AI skills, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is to announce Monday.

Starmer is also set to unveil £187 million ($253 million) in funding to help develop tech abilities for one million secondary school students, as part of its "TechFirst" programme to bring AI learning into classrooms and communities.

"We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation -- so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it," Starmer was to say, according to extracts released by his Downing Street office.


"This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom -- and lays the foundations for a new era of growth," he was to add.

The UK's AI sector is valued at £72 billion and is projected to exceed £800 billion by 2035. It is growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, employing over 64,000 people, according to government figures.

Alongside TechFirst, Starmer was also to announce a government-industry partnership to train 7.5 million workers, with tech giants committing to make training materials freely available to businesses over the next five years.

Training will focus on teaching workers to use chatbots and large language models to boost productivity.

Google EMEA President Debbie Weinstein called it a "crucial initiative" essential developing AI skills, unlocking AI-powered growth "and cementing the UK's position as an AI leader".

The government was also to sign two Memorandums of Understanding with semiconductor firm NVIDIA, "supporting the development of a nationwide AI talent pipeline", according to the UK government.