Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way we work. In order to benefit from the opportunities AI presents, boost economic growth and career success, it’s essential that people have the right skills and are confident in using them.
The challenge
Too many people in the UK lack digital and AI skills for work. This is holding us back from capitalising on AI's potential to add £400 billion to the economy by 2030.
Government commitment
The government has set an ambitious target to upskill 10 million UK workers by 2030 to ensure the workforce is adequately skilled and ready to grasp the full opportunities of AI.
That’s why the Department for Innovation, Science and Technology (DSIT) has today unveiled the ‘AI Skills Boost’ programme. This is a package of free, industry-developed short courses which are available to everyone in the UK online.
Major tech companies which have developed the courses include Accenture, Google, IBM and Microsoft.
Action taken by Skills England
The courses chosen for the AI Skills Boost programme were assessed against Skills England’s new AI foundation skills for work benchmark.
This sets out the skills needed to use simple AI tools confidently and responsibly at work, which include:
- understanding the risks and consequences of using AI
- creating prompts and adapting settings for generative AI tools
- using simple AI dashboards to interpret data trends
- automating routine tasks with AI tools
Our benchmark was developed with industry experts, building from an AI Skills Framework tool developed for our recent 'AI skills for the UK workforce' report.
Everybody who completes a course which meets the benchmark, will receive a virtual badge via the AI Skills Boost programme confirming they have learned all the AI foundation skills.
The badge can be used on social media and in CVs when applying for jobs. It’s a simple idea that will make a huge difference.
Our research on AI training needs
Published in October 2025, in partnership with Dr Nisreen Ameen, of Royal Holloway, University of London, our ‘AI skills for the UK workforce’ report uncovered challenges with AI upskilling including poor employer understanding, particularly among small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), of what is meant by AI skills and what their staff need to learn.
Skills England’s new AI foundation skills for work benchmark provides that much needed clarity on skills needed to reap the benefits of using AI tools.
It has taken inspiration from 3 free tools within the ‘AI Skills for the UK Workforce’ report. They are:
- the AI Skills Framework, which maps AI skills into technical, responsible and ethical, and non-technical domains, aligned with 3 job levels (entry, mid and managerial levels)
- the AI Skills Adoption Pathway Model, which shows how organisations typically progress through stages of AI adoption, from initial awareness to strategic scaling
- the Employer AI Adoption Checklist, which provides structured prompts to help employers assess their AI skills readiness, identify workforce gaps, and upskill
These tools can help employers, educators, and policymakers to assess AI skills, plan training, and support responsible adoption of AI across all sectors.
Looking ahead
AI technology is developing at a phenomenal pace.
I’m really pleased to say that Skills England and the government are moving fast to make sure businesses and workers have access to quality training that will help them fully capitalise on the opportunities presented by AI.
The ‘AI Skills Boost’ programme, which we have been proud to support DSIT in developing, is the first of a series of new products in this space. We will be keeping you updated about the brilliant new developments with apprenticeships, all developed with employers, next month.
Roll on National Apprenticeship Week 2026, and watch this space!
Phil Smith CBE
Chair, Skills England