A new £187m government skills programme has been launched by the Prime Minister in order to help pupils across the country gain the skills and tools needed for the AI-powered jobs of the future.
The ‘TechFirst’ programme will bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities.
It is designed to train up people of all ages and backgrounds for the tech careers of the future.
It comes as research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) shows that by 2035, around 10m workers will be in roles where AI will be part of their role or responsibilities in some form, with a further 3.9m in roles directly in AI.
The flagship strand of this programme, ‘TechYouth’, is backed by £24m of government funding.
This is set to give 1m students over three years across every secondary school in the UK the chance to learn about technology and gain access to new skills training and career opportunities.
There will also be an online platform to inspire and educate students about the potential of computing and tech careers, building on CyberFirst’s Explorers which has access to most secondary schools in the UK with 100,000 students registered already.
The AI sector alone is valued at £72.3bn and is projected to exceed £800bn by 2035.
It is growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, employing over 64,000 people across more than 3,700 companies.
However, access to AI skills in the UK remains one of the biggest barriers to growth.
According to a new TechNation report, one in three UK tech founders say the availability of top talent is their biggest barrier to growth.
That’s why the government is backing young people and investing in skills as an engine of economic growth—putting more money in people’s pockets and breaking down barriers to opportunity as part of the Plan for Change.
PM Keir Starmer said: “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.
“This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom – and lays the foundations for a new era of growth.
“Too many children from working families like the one I grew up in are written off. I am determined to end that.
“This programme is the Plan for Change in action – breaking down barriers, driving innovation, and giving every young person the chance of a good, well paid job and a bright future.”
TechFirst will also support over 4,000 graduates, researchers, and innovators through three additional strands – TechGrad (£96.8m), TechExpert (£48.4m) and TechLocal (£18m).
Major industry players including IBM, BAE Systems, QinetiQ, BT, Microsoft and the Careers & Enterprise Company – the national body for careers education – have backed the initiative.
TechFirst builds on the success of the CyberFirst programme, which has already helped hundreds of thousands of young people gain cyber security skills.
Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, added: “We are getting Brits ready for jobs of the future by helping millions across the country gain vital digital skills in AI and beyond.
“Embedding these skills into our education system and local communities will help people of all backgrounds and ensure tech talent flourishes in every corner of our nation.
“These partnerships with industry will translate skills into real jobs and economic growth, putting more money in people’s pockets and breaking down barriers to opportunity.
“This is our Plan for Change in action – investing in the skills that will power our economy and deliver prosperity for working people across the country.”