How Government AI Training Will Boost UK Businesses

The UK Government has announced foundational AI training courses for all UK workers to gain practical AI skills for the work environment.

Through the programme, the government hopes more high-skilled jobs will be created as workers are freed up from more routine tasks.

The announcement comes as part of wider plans to upskill 10 million people and make Britain the fastest adopting AI country in the G7. 

New, industry-developed AI courses are available on the government’s AI skills hub and are open to all UK adults online. 

The training is designed to give both workers and employers confidence in AI skills, and hopes to set standards for what good AI upskilling looks like. 

Since June 2025, the programme has delivered one million courses, with new aims to reach 10 million workers this decade – including two million SME employees. 

Discussing the initiative, Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology says: “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.”

How AI is impacting business growth globally

Research shared by the UK Government finds that only 21% of UK workers feel confident using AI at work, while only one in six UK businesses are using AI in their operations. 

These lower rates of AI adoption could significantly impact UK business competitiveness, with a study from the University of Birmingham suggesting this skills gap could lead to a US$37.17bn loss. 

The need for AI skills is increasing rapidly however, with a report from Randstad finding that job advertisements looking for ‘AI Agent’ skills have risen by 1,587%. 

Business leaders also view AI as playing a larger role in operations than employees, with only one in five workers believing AI will affect their work. 

As the UK government finds that smaller organisations are less likely to implement AI, leading businesses are prioritising AI investment – with 68% of CEOs revealing they plan to increase AI spending in 2026. 

Google is one large company increasing its AI investments, appointing Amin Vahdat as its dedicated Chief Technologist for AI Infrastructure in December 2025. 

In an internal memo, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said this change “establishes AI Infrastructure as a key focus area for the company.”

Upskilling employees to create an AI-ready workforce

According to a study by IBM, HR leaders are anticipating that 56% of employees will need upskilling to better adapt to AI. 

The study advises CHROs to ensure they have a strategy in place to support workforce upskilling and help employees use AI tools in their day-to-day work. 

Discussing the use of AI within organisations at an HR Tech conference in September 2025, Nickle LaMoureaux, Chief HR Officer of IBM, says: “AI is not magic. It’s amazing, impressive technology that can totally transform your business. But it takes hard work, behaviour change, culture change, business process change and sometimes leadership change.”

Ryan Roslanksy, CEO of LinkedIn, agrees, advising employers to facilitate learning opportunities to build long-term growth.

He says: "The future of work is not off on the horizon. It is here now, moving fast, shaped by the choices we make today.

“AI is already changing how we learn, how we create and how we move forward. The real question is not what the technology can do. The real question is what we choose to do with it.”

With this initiative, the UK Government hopes to create a more confident, AI-ready workforce – potentially unlocking up to US$192.88bn in annual economic output. 

The course aims to help employees feel comfortable using AI for administrative tasks to free up time to focus on other work.