UK government partners with Google, Microsoft, Amazon and NVIDIA to train millions of workers in AI skills

The tech giants have committed to providing free training materials for businesses over the next five years. The training will focus on the practical use of chatbots and large language models to improve labour productivity.

Speaking ahead of the opening of London Tech Week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "In this global race, we can be the creators of AI, not its consumers."

Alongside the programme for workers, the government is allocating £187 million ($253 million) to develop technology skills for 1 million secondary school students under the "TechFirst" programme, aimed at bringing AI learning into classrooms and communities.

Commenting on the initiative, Keir Starmer said:

"We are putting the power of artificial intelligence into the hands of the next generation - so that they can shape the future, rather than being shaped by it. This training programme will unlock opportunities in every classroom and lay the foundations for a new era of growth."

The UK government has also signed two memoranda of understanding with semiconductor manufacturer NVIDIA, which it said will "support the development of a national AI talent pipeline."

It is worth noting that the memoranda with technology companies are not limited to NVIDIA alone. According to the government's response to a parliamentary inquiry dated March 18, 2026, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has already signed agreements with OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Cohere and Anthropic. All of these companies have significant office presences or headquarters in the UK, and many are expanding their presence. For example, in February 2026, OpenAI announced a significant expansion of its presence in London, making the city its largest research centre outside the United States.