Kendall Recasts £187 Million AI Training Plan, Launches 80 Youth Skills Camp Places
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 5
Kendall Recasts £187 Million AI Training Plan, Launches 80 Youth Skills Camp Places
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 5
Summary
40% of the £187 million TechFirst AI scheme will now go to disadvantaged schools, Liz Kendall said, as Labour set out an AI strategy aimed at making the technology “work for workers.”
1 million children are the programme’s target reach, while two pilot summer skills camps will open with 60 places in north-west England and 20 in the north-east for young people who are NEET or at risk.
The north-east camp is tied to Labour’s planned AI growth zone and funded through the Youth Guarantee, which supports young people out of work for 18 months or more and is meant to feed into apprenticeships.
The push comes as the number of young NEETs has topped 1 million for the first time in a decade and as warnings grow that AI could hit younger workers hardest.
Ahead of London Tech Week starting on 8 June, Kendall also signaled a tougher line on big tech, leaving the Palantir NHS contract to the health secretary and saying ministers are weighing wider online child-safety curbs, including chatbots and age checks.