"We want AI to work for Britain": The UK government wants to upskill 10 million Brits in AI by 2030 – and the courses are free to access

The UK government wants to train 10 million people in AI by 2030 in an ambitious expansion of a nationwide upskilling program.

Under the plans, every adult in the UK will be eligible to take free courses to gain practical AI skills.

The announcement builds on a previous pledge made in June 2025, in which the government teamed up with industry giants to launch the AI Skills Boost scheme.

Initially, the aim was to train 7.5 million people across the UK to capitalize on the generative AI boom.

Courses run through the expanded program have been curated by industry stakeholders and align with Skills England’s AI foundation skills for work benchmark.

"We want AI to work for Britain, and that means ensuring Britons can work with AI," said Liz Kendall, secretary of state for science, innovation, and technology.

"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,” she added.

"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."

Inaugural partners on the AI skills Boost program included a range of tech giants, such as Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce, and SAS.

They will now be joined by Multiverse, Pax8, TechUK, Cisco, Cognizant, and more.

Sarah Walker, CEO for Cisco UK&I, said the networking giant is “ pleased to support the government’s expansion of its AI upskilling mission”.

“We are proud to help ensure that communities in every corner of the country can benefit from technology and innovation. AI presents an enormous opportunity to unlock human potential, but only if we improve basic digital literacy and support people with AI skills across the UK,” she said.

“The AI Skills Boost is core to raising living standards and generating economic growth opportunities for the nation."

How to get involved in the skills push

The nationwide training scheme will be open to all adults online, the government noted, with some courses taking as little as 20 minutes.

Participants enrolled in these courses will be taught how to use basic AI tools in the workplace, such as using AI for drafting text, creating content, or completing administrative tasks.

“This training will give both workers and employers confidence in their new skills, and set standards for what good AI upskilling looks like,” the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said in a statement.

Local government and NHS employees will be among those first to benefit from the expanded training scheme, the government said.

Addressing future challenges

Alongside the expansion of the AI skills program, Kendall announced the launch of the new AI and the Future of Work Unit to help the country remain “front-footed” in addressing future skills challenges.

The new unit will be led by a panel of experts from businesses and trade unions to examine the potential impact of AI on the economy and labor market.

Long-term, the hope here is that the unit will help guide policymakers in adapting to technological changes.

“It will ensure the AI transition boosts economic growth, supports workers to adapt, protects communities from the mistakes of past industrial change, and delivers a fair, dignified future of work for everyone, where people are supported into better jobs in a more productive economy,” the DSIT said.

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