Every adult in the UK is eligible to take free, newly benchmarked courses to gain practical AI skills for work – as the joint government and industry programme sees a major expansion to upskill 10 million workers.
In order to make Britain the fastest adopting AI country in the G7, the UK is setting ambitious targets to ensure the workforce is adequately skilled, confident and ready to grasp the full opportunities of AI. This could create more higher-skilled jobs and free workers up from routine tasks, with increasing the adoption of AI potentially unlocking up to £140 billion in annual economic output as part of plans for national renewal.
A selection of industry-developed AI courses, newly available on the government’s AI Skills Hub, have been checked against Skills England’s AI foundation skills for work benchmark, with those who complete these courses receiving a virtual AI foundations badge.
Open to all UK adults online, taking as little as under 20 minutes – or up to nine hours – the courses will give people the skills needed to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace and teach the use of AI for tasks like drafting text, creating content and completing administrative tasks, to free up time to focus on other work. This training will give both workers and employers confidence in their new skills, and set standards for what good AI upskilling looks like. The programme has already delivered one million courses since June.
AI and the future of work
Reaching 10 million workers this decade is equivalent to upskilling nearly a third of this country’s workforce and includes reaching at least two million SME employees. The government claims this is the biggest targeted training programme since Harold Wilson started the Open University.
Recognising that AI will bring changes to jobs and work as we know it, the Tech Secretary is also launching the new AI and the Future of Work Unit to remain ‘front-footed’ in addressing inevitable challenges.
Backed by a panel of experts from business and trade unions, the unit will provide analysis and evidence on AI’s impact on the economy and labour market to provide timely advice on when new policies should be implemented across government. It aims to ensure the AI transition boosts economic growth, supports workers to adapt, protects communities from the mistakes of past industrial change, and delivers a fair, dignified future of work for everyone, where people are supported into better jobs in a more productive economy.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall said, “We want AI to work for Britain, and that means ensuring Britons can work with AI. Change is inevitable, but the consequences of change are not. We will protect people from the risks of AI while ensuring everyone can share in its benefits. That starts with giving people the skills and confidence they need to seize the opportunities AI brings, putting the power and control into their hands.”
Recent research shared by the government finds only 21% of UK workers feel confident using AI at work and adoption remains low with only one in six UK businesses using AI as of mid-2025. UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) report a lower rate of AI adoption, with micro businesses 45% less likely to adopt AI than large businesses.
Wider schemes
£27 million funding will kickstart the government’s TechLocal scheme – part of the £187 million TechFirst programme – which will help employers fill or create up to 1,000 tech jobs in communities across the UK and enable new professional practice courses, graduate traineeships and work experience opportunities in AI.
The government has also launched offers to apply for the Spärck AI Scholarship at nine UK Universities. The scholarships will give up to 100 AI and STEM Master’s students access to industry partnerships, work placements and mentorship opportunities throughout their studies, alongside covering both tuition and living expenses.
This comes alongside the government’s Skills for Life digital skills offer. The campaign provides easy access to thousands of free or government subsidised courses covering the essential digital skills people need for work and life, and digital skills people need to be able to take the next step towards a career in technology. AI is one of the pillars of the digital tech sector plan as part of the Industrial Strategy.
Find out more about the free training at the AI Skills Hub.
Steve is an award-winning editor and copywriter with more than 20 years’ experience specialising in consumer technology and video games. With a career spanning from the first PlayStation to the latest in VR, he's proud to be a lifelong gamer.
