UK Prime Minister announces £24m TechYouth initiative, providing AI skills training in all secondary schools over three years

At at a speech marking the start of London Tech Week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new AI-focused skills programme aiming to equip children and workers with digital skills.

The UK government will invest £187 million in its new “TechFirst” programme, offering digital skills training and AI learning in classrooms. “TechYouth”, which will receive £24 million of funding over three years, will provide a million UK students with digital skills training in secondary schools.

The government will also launch an online platform to inspire students about the potential of careers in technology, as it shared that 100,000 students have already registered.

“That’s a £185 million investment, embedding AI right through our education system, starting in our secondary schools with subjects like computer science,” Starmer told delegates. 

He also shared plans to support students in higher education with AI skills. He added: “At universities, a new scholarship programme for high-flying students – supporting the best and brightest personally, so they can focus on their research on the next frontier.”

Starmer said the government is working in partnership with 11 “major companies” to train 7.5 million workers in AI by 2030 in what he said was a “stepchange in how we train homegrown talent in AI”. 

The Prime Minister also shared plans to use AI innovation in schools, helping teachers develop learning plans more efficiently so they can spend more time interacting with children in their classes.

Starmer praised the efforts of digital giant Google in opening its London AI Campus last year. The training center offers access to expert resources on AI and machine learning, as well as offering mentoring and insight from Google and Google DeepMind.

Starmer added: “Thank you to the tech sector for stepping up to that challenge. But now we need to go further. By the end of this Parliament, we should be able to look every parent the eye, in every region in Britain and say – look what technology can deliver for you. 

“We can put money in your pocket; we can create wealth in your community; we can create good jobs and vastly improve our public services and build a better future for your children. That is the opportunity we must seize, that is what my Plan for Change will deliver. And today, I think we’re taking another big step towards it.”