UK workers will get free AI training with the government ploughing £27 million to push people into tech jobs – but experts have warned “this barely touches the sides of what’s needed”.
Free AI foundations training for all workers has been expanded by the government to upskill 10 million people, with new partners including NHS and techUK, it has been announced.
The government says to ensure UK workers benefit from the changes AI will bring, a new cross-government unit will advise on AI’s economic and labour market impacts.
It is ploughing £27 million of funding to connect people to tech jobs in local communities, and create new professional practice courses and graduate traineeships.
Plans unveiled as Technology Secretary vows to make Britain the leading AI adopter in the G7 and build a workforce that excels in developing, adopting and benefiting from AI.
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.”
Vanity project
Rohit Parmar-Mistry, Founder at Burton-on-Trent-based Pattrn Data, said it looks like a “government vanity project”.
He added: “£27 million to upskill the nation? I nearly choked on my coffee. This is ‘data literacy’ 2.0: another government vanity project that barely touches the sides of what is actually needed. The government seems to think the barrier to AI adoption is that people don’t know how to write a prompt. It isn’t.
“In our AI Audits, we rarely find staff who are incapable of using the tools. We find leadership teams who have absolutely no idea how to integrate them into a viable workflow. You can train 10 million people to use a hammer, but it’s useless if the business hasn’t given them a blueprint or any nails.
“The UK isn’t falling behind because workers lack certificates; we’re falling behind because businesses lack knowledge. We need leaders who understand how to redesign processes for an AI age, not a workforce waving around a generic ‘Introduction to Chatbots’ qualification. This is typical tick-box politics: a nice headline, zero substance, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem.”
Colette Mason, Author & AI Consultant at London-based Clever Clogs AI, said this plan is “doomed”.
He continued: “Twenty-minute courses teaching workers to ‘draft text, create content and complete administrative tasks’ isn’t AI enablement,it’s training people to become prompt-dependent. The government’s own data shows only 21% of UK workers feel confident using AI, yet the solution is virtual badges for completing courses that treat AI like a magic text generator?
“Britain’s not just behind the US or China in adoption. We’re behind in understanding that ‘using simple AI tools effectively’ doesn’t build collaborative intelligence. What we need isn’t 10 million workers who can ask ChatGPT to write emails then waste 20 minutes fact checking. We need professionals who know when AI assistance improves work, when it introduces risk, and when human judgment must override the algorithm.
“This barely touches the sides of what’s needed. We’re teaching hammer-swinging when we should be teaching architecture. If the quality of design and usability of the Aiskillshub site is anything to go by, this is doomed.”
This barely touches the sides of what’s needed
Kate Underwood, Founder at Southampton-based Kate Underwood HR and Training, said we are already behind the US and China.
“Free AI training is valuable, but let’s not pretend a short course turns everyone into an AI Ninja. Yes, it’s necessary. AI isn’t ‘coming’. It’s already in UK workplaces, often unnoticed and without awareness of risk, bias, or data. For SMEs, this technology can save hours, reduce admin, and increase productivity quickly, if used correctly.
“But we’re fooling ourselves if we think training alone closes the gap between the US and the US or China. They’re heavily investing in infrastructure, innovation, and scale. We can’t succeed just by handing out certificates and calling it a transformation.
“And that £27m? Helpful, indeed. But it hardly makes a difference if businesses lack the time, tools, and strong leadership to truly change how work is done. AI won’t suddenly modernise a workplace that still relies on guesswork and panic.”
Photo by Gabriele Malaspina on Unsplash.
