The government will create a new cross-department Future of Work Unit, expand its ambition to upskill 10 million workers in AI by 2030, and invest £27 million in a new TechLocal programme aimed at entry-level tech roles, the Science and Technology Secretary has announced.
Delivering her first major speech on artificial intelligence at Bloomberg on Wednesday, Liz Kendall set out how the government intends to position Britain to “win for Britain on AI”, while supporting workers through the disruption the technology will bring.
Kendall said AI was now “the engine of economic power and hard power” and that the UK was in a global race to harness its benefits responsibly. “We are at a defining moment for Britain, our place in the world and our future prosperity,” she said.
The newly announced Future of Work Unit will sit within Kendall’s department and will be tasked with analysing the impact of AI on the labour market and coordinating action across government. It will bring together the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, the business department and the Treasury, supported by a panel of experts.
Kendall said the unit would ensure government was not a “bystander” to fears about job losses, but actively supported people through transition. The CBI and the TUC have agreed to take part.
Building on an existing pledge to upskill 7.5 million workers, Kendall announced the government’s ambition would now rise to 10 million people trained in AI skills by 2030, with at least 2 million of those in small and medium-sized businesses.
More than one million AI courses have already been delivered, she said, through partnerships with companies including Accenture, Amazon, Barclays, BT, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Sage and Salesforce. New partners will include Multiverse, public sector bodies such as the NHS and the Local Government Association, alongside techUK, the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Chambers of Commerce.
Kendall also announced £27 million for TechLocal, a new programme designed to help people, particularly women, move into entry-level tech roles through targeted skills training and work experience.
The initiative aims to bridge the gap between existing skills and industry demand, addressing persistent diversity and entry-barrier challenges in the tech sector.
In her speech, Kendall highlighted progress made under the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, published a year ago. She said three-quarters of its commitments had already been delivered, including the launch of four AI Growth Zones and plans for a national supercomputer in Edinburgh.
She reiterated the government’s focus on making Britain the fastest-adopting AI economy in the G7, rather than trying to outbuild the US or China on data centres. “The race we can and should win is on adoption — getting AI to actually work for people and the economy,” she said.
Kendall acknowledged concerns about AI’s impact on jobs, particularly entry-level roles in finance, law, retail and hospitality, and warned that while AI would create new jobs, some roles would disappear.
“Change is inevitable. The consequences are not,” she said, pledging that the government would protect communities from the mistakes of past industrial transitions and help people move into “better jobs in a more productive economy”.
She concluded by calling optimism the UK’s most valuable asset. “When we unleash Britain’s greatest strength, the talents of our people, there is nothing we cannot achieve,” she said.
The speech marks the clearest signal yet that AI skills, workforce transition and adoption across the economy will sit at the heart of the government’s technology strategy in the years ahead.
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Liz Kendall unveils AI ‘Future of Work’ unit and pledge to upskill 10 million workers by 2030