The UK government has unveiled a sweeping initiative to equip secondary school pupils, university students, and workers with artificial intelligence skills, aiming to empower the next generation to shape the country´s technological future. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that more than one million students in secondary schools are set to benefit from the TechFirst scheme, a £187 million government programme designed to provide early exposure and training in artificial intelligence for future careers in technology.
The programme, divided into four core strands, includes the flagship TechYouth plan, which allocates £24 million to ensure secondary pupils receive foundational artificial intelligence skills over three years. Additional components of the scheme include TechGrad—offering £96.8 million to support 1,000 domestic undergraduate students annually with scholarships in artificial intelligence and computer science—and TechExpert, which will see £48.4 million distributed to PhD students advancing research in the sector. The TechLocal arm commits £18 million in seed funding to help small businesses develop new technology and adopt artificial intelligence solutions.
In parallel, the government will partner with tech industry heavyweights such as Google, Microsoft, IBM, Nvidia, BT, and Amazon to provide high-quality, no-cost training materials for 7.5 million UK workers by 2030. This industry-government effort is intended to equip staff nationwide with essential skills to use and interact with advanced technologies, including chatbots and large language models. Research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology predicts that, by 2035, around 10 million UK jobs will involve artificial intelligence in some capacity. Starmer highlighted the initiative as crucial for social mobility, declaring that the programme ´will unlock opportunity in every classroom and lays the foundations for a new era of growth.´ The launch follows private discussions with leading global technology figures and investors at Chequers and comes ahead of a Downing Street summit with industry leaders and young entrepreneurs.
