Latest news with #DSIT
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Greater Manchester 'can hit the ground running' amid huge AI school plans
One million students will be prepared for jobs of the future thanks to a new artificial intelligence (AI) training programme. Around £187m will be invested in the national skills programme to bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities, the Prime Minister has announced. It comes as the government aims for 7.5m workers across the UK to gain essential AI skills by 2030. Research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) reveals that by 2035, around 10m workers will be in jobs where AI will be part of their role or responsibilities in some form, with a further 3.9m people in positions directly in AI. READ MORE: Boy, 14, stabbed to death named and pictured amid huge murder investigation READ MORE: Manchester murder investigation LIVE updates as police make arrests and seal off house after boy, 14, killed This week, Rachel Reeves will announce billions of pounds to 'turbo-charge' the tech sector as part of her long-term spending plans. Ahead of the Chancellor's Spending Review on Wednesday (June 11), the Prime Minister has announced a £187m 'national skills drive'. TechYouth, the 'flagship' strand of this programme which is backed by £24m of government funding, promises to give 1m students over three years across every secondary school in the UK the chance to learn about technology and gain new career opportunities. It builds on the CyberFirst programme which has already helped hundreds of thousands of young people gain cyber security skills. Last week, Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle was at Salford's MediaCityUK to see the scheme for himself. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he said the new initiative will be delivered locally, using facilities such as those available at MediaCityUK. He said: "For Greater Manchester, you can see that you already have in MediaCity the physical ability to grasp the new resources that the government is going to be putting into skills development. "So in other words, you've got the space and the resources that can cope with the massive upscaling that we're going to be delivering for cyber skills and cyber skills development into the future. "Whereas other parts of the country are going to have to find the space, you can hit the ground running." According to the government, in each of the UK's regions and nations, a local delivery partner will be selected by DSIT, to run the programme and deliver activities to schools and colleges in local areas. The TechFirst programme also promises to support over 4,000 graduates, researchers, and innovators through three additional strands. With £96.8m, TechGrad will support 1,000 'exceptional' domestic students a year with undergraduate scholarships, TechExpert will give up to £10,000 in additional funding to 500 domestic PhD students conducting research in tech, with a total of £48.4m to spend, while with £18, TechLocal will offer seed funding to help regional innovators and small businesses develop new tech products and adopt AI. Major industry players including IBM, BAE Systems, QinetiQ, BT, Microsoft and the Careers & Enterprise Company have backed the initiative. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 'We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation – so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it. 'This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom – and lays the foundations for a new era of growth. 'Too many children from working families like the one I grew up in are written off. I am determined to end that. 'This programme is the Plan for Change in action – breaking down barriers, driving innovation, and giving every young person the chance of a good, well paid job and a bright future.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
One million students to receive AI training in new skills drive
Secondary school pupils will be taught new skills to make sure they can get AI-powered jobs in the future, the prime minister is set to announce. It comes as research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) showed that, by 2035, AI will play a part in the roles and responsibilities of around 10 million workers. One million students will be given access to learning resources to start equipping them for 'the tech careers of the future' as part of the government's £187m 'TechFirst' scheme, Downing Street said on Monday. The announcement came just hours after technology secretary Peter Kyle admitted that AI 'does lie', acknowledging that the technology was 'not flawless'. The TechFirst programme will be split into four strands, with TechYouth – the £24m 'flagship' arm – aimed at giving students across every secondary school in the UK the chance to gain new AI skills over three years. Sir Keir Starmer is also launching a new government partnership with industry to train 7.5 million UK workers in essential skills to use AI by 2030. Tech giants including Google, Microsoft, IBM, Nvidia, BT and Amazon have signed up to make 'high-quality' training materials widely available to workers free of charge over the next five years, No 10 said. Sir Keir said the government is 'putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation – so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it'. He added: 'This training programme will unlock opportunity in every classroom – and lays the foundations for a new era of growth. 'Too many children from working families like the one I grew up in are written off. I am determined to end that.' Sir Keir hosted a private reception at Chequers on Sunday with leading technology bosses and investors, including former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, Faculty AI co-founder Angie Ma, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis and Scale boss Alex Wang. On Tuesday, he will invite industry figures to Downing Street, including 16-year-old AI entrepreneur Toby Brown, who recently secured $1m in Silicon Valley funding for his startup, Beem. Asked about the risk of AI producing unreliable information, Mr Kyle said 'people need to understand that AI is not flawless, and that AI does lie because it's based on human characteristics'. 'Now it is getting more precise as we move forward. It's getting more powerful as we move forward,' he told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips. 'But as with every single technology that comes into society, you can only safely use it and wisely use it by understanding how it works.' He added: 'We are going to legislate for AI going forward and we're going to balance it with the same legislation that we'll bring in to modernise the copyright legislation as well.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Spending Review to include £86bn science and tech package
An £86bn package for the science and technology sector will help fund research into drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries, the government has said ahead of Wednesday's Spending Review. The package also includes up to £500m for regions across the UK with local leaders having a say on how it is spent, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, whose review will outline day-to-day departmental and investment budgets over the next few years, said investing in the sector would create jobs and boost security. But research backers have warned that the government needs to do more to secure the UK's reputation for science on the world stage. Spending Review: Massive cheques from the chancellor for some - but what do totals hide? Reeves admits some will lose out in spending review Spending Review: When is it and what might Rachel Reeves announce? Reeves will set out departmental spending plans on Wednesday, with the package for science and technology expected to be worth more than £22.5 billion-a-year by 2029. DSIT said "every corner of the country" would benefit, with communities able to direct funding to expertise specific to their areas. In Liverpool, which has a long history in biotech, funding will be used to speed up drug discovery. Northern Ireland will receive money to develop defence equipment, while south Wales will use the money to design microchips used to power mobile phones and electric cars. The chancellor said: "Britain is the home of science and technology. Through the plan for change, we are investing in Britain's renewal to create jobs, protect our security against foreign threats and make working families better off." Tony McBride, director of policy and public affairs at the Institute of Physics, welcomed the funding but said the government would need to commit to a decade-long plan to train workers. "This must include a plan for the skilled workforce we need to deliver this vision, starting with teachers and addressing every educational stage, to underpin the industrial strategy," he said. John-Arne Rottingen, chief executive of Britain's biggest non-governmental research funder Wellcome, warned that visa costs for scientists from overseas, financial challenges at universities and a budget that was not adjusted for inflation could hamper the government's ambitions. "The UK should be aiming to lead the G7 in research intensity, to bring about economic growth and the advances in health, science and technology that benefit us all." The shadow technology secretary, Alan Mak, said the investment for the sector seemed to be a "copy and paste" of Conservative plans set out in its manifesto last year. "As Labour and Reform squabble over how to spend more taxpayers money, only the Conservatives are creating a serious plan for government to deliver growth and give you your country back," he added. Earlier this week, Reeves admitted that not every government department would "get everything they want" in Wednesday's review, saying she had turned down requests from ministers and argued a squeeze on funding was a "product of economic reality". Reeves said her fiscal rules on borrowing to pay for public services were "non-negotiable" and insisted they were necessary because of "Conservative maltreatment" of the economy. The Treasury said earlier this year that the chancellor's fiscal rules would ensure day-to-day spending was matched by tax revenues, meaning the government would only borrow to invest. Big chunks will go to favoured departments, with suggestions of an extra £30 billion for the NHS over three years. Whitehall insiders have told the BBC they expect the spending review will be "ugly", and that ministers have been fighting over winning small amounts of cash for their respective departments.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Spending Review to include £86bn for science and tech
An £86bn package for the science and technology sector will help fund research into drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries, the government has said ahead of Wednesday's Spending package also includes up to £500m for regions across the UK with local leaders having a say on how it is spent, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Rachel Reeves, whose review will outline day-to-day departmental and investment budgets over the next few years, said investing in the sector would create jobs and boost research backers have warned that the government needs to do more to secure the UK's reputation for science on the world stage. Reeves will set out departmental spending plans on Wednesday, with the package for science and technology expected to be worth more than £22.5 billion-a-year by said "every corner of the country" would benefit, with communities able to direct funding to expertise specific to their Liverpool, which has a long history in biotech, funding will be used to speed up drug discovery. Northern Ireland will receive money to develop defence equipment, while south Wales will use the money to design microchips used to power mobile phones and electric chancellor said: "Britain is the home of science and technology. Through the plan for change, we are investing in Britain's renewal to create jobs, protect our security against foreign threats and make working families better off." Tony McBride, director of policy and public affairs at the Institute of Physics, welcomed the funding but said the government would need to commit to a decade-long plan to train workers."This must include a plan for the skilled workforce we need to deliver this vision, starting with teachers and addressing every educational stage, to underpin the industrial strategy," he Rottingen, chief executive of Britain's biggest non-governmental research funder Wellcome, warned that visa costs for scientists from overseas, financial challenges at universities and a budget that was not adjusted for inflation could hamper the government's ambitions. "The UK should be aiming to lead the G7 in research intensity, to bring about economic growth and the advances in health, science and technology that benefit us all." Earlier this week, Reeves admitted that not every government department would "get everything they want" in Wednesday's review, saying she had turned down requests from ministers and argued a squeeze on funding was a "product of economic reality".Reeves said her fiscal rules on borrowing to pay for public services were "non-negotiable" and insisted they were necessary because of "Conservative maltreatment" of the Treasury said earlier this year that the chancellor's fiscal rules would ensure day-to-day spending was matched by tax revenues, meaning the government would only borrow to chunks will go to favoured departments, with suggestions of an extra £30 billion for the NHS over three insiders have told the BBC they expect the spending review will be "ugly", and that ministers have been fighting over winning small amounts of cash for their respective departments.
ITV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Chancellor to announce £86bn for science and technology in spending review
Research into drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries will receive new funding as part of an £86 billion package for science and technology set to be announced in next week's spending review. Regions will be handed up to half a billion pounds with local leaders given powers to decide how investment is targeted in their communities, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said. The overall package, which will be announced as Chancellor Rachel Reeves sets out departmental spending plans on June 11, is expected to be worth more than £22.5 billion-a-year by the end of the decade. DSIT said "every corner of the country" would benefit as local leaders are given a say on how the money is spent in their specific communities. In Liverpool for instance, which has a long history in biotech, funding will be used to speed up drug discovery. In South Wales, which has Britain's largest semiconductor cluster, it will be used to design the microchips used to power mobile phones and electric cars. The Chancellor said: "Britain is the home of science and technology. Through the Plan for Change, we are investing in Britain's renewal to create jobs, protect our security against foreign threats and make working families better off." Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: "Incredible and ambitious research goes on in every corner of our country, from Liverpool to Inverness, Swansea to Belfast, which is why empowering regions to harness local expertise and skills for all of our benefit is at the heart of this new funding - helping to deliver the economic growth at the centre of our Plan for Change. Whilst many local leaders welcomed the package, the Institute of Physics warned a longer-term strategy for science was needed. Tony McBride, director of policy and public affairs at the institute, said: "It's good to see the Government recognise the power of science and innovation to transform lives and grow prosperity in every part of the UK. "But to fully harness the transformational potential of research and innovation - wherever it takes place - we need a decade-long strategic plan for science. This must include a plan for the skilled workforce we need to deliver this vision, starting with teachers and addressing every educational stage, to underpin the industrial strategy." Universities UK said the Government had made a "smart investment" and academia would put its "shoulder to the wheel" behind the plans. Vivienne Stern, chief executive of the group representing 142 higher education providers in Britain, said: "The UK has a real opportunity to sow the seeds of long-term growth, benefiting all parts of the UK - with universities spread right across the country working with industry and public sector bodies to turn discoveries into economic success. "They stand ready to double down with government, building stronger links with sectors of the economy where we have real room to grow. "This creates good jobs and attracts investment everywhere from Swansea to Aberdeen, from Barrow to Plymouth."
