New TechFirst scheme to equip students and workers with AI skills

A multi‑strand £187m government scheme will support AI education for secondary pupils, degrees, PhDs and small businesses.

The Government has unveiled the new TechFirst initiative, a £187 million programme designed to bring AI education and skills to secondary school pupils, undergraduates, PhD researchers and small businesses. The flagship TechYouth strand includes a £24 million allocation to provide AI learning resources across every UK secondary school over the next three years. In parallel, the TechGrad component offers £96.8 million in scholarships to support up to 1,000 domestic undergraduates annually in AI and computer science disciplines. For PhD students, TechExpert earmarks £48.4 million to grant up to £10,000 each to 500 domestic researchers undertaking tech‑focused doctoral work. Finally, TechLocal invests £18 million in seed funding for small businesses developing tech products or adopting AI, galvanising innovation at local levels. Crucially, the scheme is backed by major industry players including Google, Microsoft, IBM, Nvidia, BT and Amazon, who will deliver high‑quality training materials to workers—free of charge—aimed at training some 7.5 million people by 2030. Government sources note that by 2035, AI will impact roles of approximately 10 million UK workers, highlighting the importance of early and widespread skill development. The initiative underscores a comprehensive approach to building AI capability from classrooms to boardrooms, backed by both public investment and industry collaboration. By investing across educational stages and business sizes, the scheme aims to nurture talent, support research and drive adoption of AI in the economy.

TechFirst promises to build a pipeline of AI‑capable talent across generations and sectors.

This article has been produced by Generative AI.