The government has announced one of the most ambitious workforce training programmes the UK has seen in decades: free AI training for every adult, with the aim of giving 10 million workers practical AI skills by 2030.
On paper, the headline sounds bold, even overwhelming. But at its core, the plan is fairly simple. Ministers want to make sure that as artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday work, people across the country feel able, confident and supported in using it, rather than worried about being replaced by it.
The expansion was confirmed on 28 January by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Skills England and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall. It builds on a government and industry partnership that only launched last year, but has already delivered around one million AI training courses since June.
Every adult in the UK can now access free online AI training through the government’s revamped AI Skills Hub. The courses are short, practical and designed for people who may never have used AI tools before.
Some take less than 20 minutes to complete. They focus on everyday workplace tasks such as drafting text, summarising information, creating simple content or handling routine admin. The idea is not to turn people into AI experts, but to help them use basic tools properly and responsibly.
The courses have been checked against a new benchmark created by Skills England, which sets out what basic AI skills for work should look like. Anyone who completes an approved course gets a government-backed virtual AI foundations badge. It is a small thing, but it gives both workers and employers reassurance that the training meets a recognised standard.
Behind the announcement is a worrying gap between how powerful AI is becoming and how little it is actually used in UK workplaces.
New research published alongside the plans shows that only 21 percent of UK workers feel confident using AI at work. Even more striking, only one in six UK businesses was using AI at all by mid-2025.
Smaller businesses are falling even further behind. Official data shows that micro businesses are around 45 percent less likely to adopt AI than large firms. That matters because small and medium-sized businesses employ millions of people. If they miss out on AI, productivity gaps could widen and growth could slow.
Government analysis suggests that wider AI adoption could unlock up to £140 billion in extra economic output each year. Some industry estimates are even higher, pointing to productivity gains of more than £400 billion by 2030. Those numbers are not guaranteed, but they explain why ministers are so focused on skills.
Reaching 10 million workers would mean upskilling nearly a third of the UK workforce. Officials say this makes it the biggest targeted training programme since the creation of the Open University in the 1960s.
The ambition includes at least 2 million employees from small and medium-sized businesses, as well as large numbers of public sector workers. NHS staff and local government employees are among those set to benefit, which could have a real impact on services where admin work takes up large chunks of time.
The NHS joining as a partner is particularly significant. As the country’s biggest employer, even small improvements in how staff use AI could add up quickly.
A long list of industry, business and public sector organisations are involved.
New partners include the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors, techUK, Cisco, Cognizant, Multiverse, Pax8 and several major government departments. They join founding partners such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Barclays, BT, Salesforce, Sage, SAS and Accenture.
The thinking is that industry already knows what skills are useful right now, while government can help set standards, remove cost barriers and reach people at scale. Many partners are delivering training through platforms they already run, like Google Digital Garage or Microsoft learning programmes.
Training is only one part of the plan. The government is also launching a new AI and the Future of Work Unit, designed to track how AI is changing jobs and to advise ministers on when new policies are needed.
The unit will be supported by experts from business, universities, civil society and trade unions. Its role is to make sure the shift to AI boosts growth without repeating mistakes from past industrial changes, where communities were left behind and jobs disappeared faster than new ones appeared.
Trade unions have welcomed having a seat at the table. They have warned that while AI can create opportunities, short-term job losses, especially in entry-level roles, could cause long-term problems if they are not managed carefully.
Alongside the free courses, the government has announced £27 million for a new TechLocal scheme, part of the wider £187 million TechFirst programme.
Over four years, the funding aims to help create or fill up to 1,000 tech jobs in communities across the UK. Two funding competitions will support new AI degrees, graduate traineeships and professional practice courses, as well as projects that connect people to tech jobs close to where they live.
There is also a new Spärck AI Scholarship, open at nine UK universities. Up to 100 master’s students in AI and STEM subjects will have their tuition and living costs covered, along with access to industry placements and mentoring.
Strip away the big numbers and long partner lists, and the message is fairly clear. Most people are still unsure about AI, even though it is already creeping into daily work. Employers worry about risks. Workers worry about their jobs.
By offering short, free and recognised training, the government hopes to make AI feel more ordinary and less intimidating, much like basic digital skills did over the past twenty years.
As Liz Kendall put it, change is coming whether people like it or not. The argument here is that giving people skills early is better than trying to fix the damage later.
