New programme, leveraging techUK’s Impact
The Education and EdTech Programme at techUK brings together education leaders, technology providers, and policymakers to drive innovation, shape policy, and strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in education technology. The programme ensures that schools, colleges, and universities have access to the right technology, spanning digital infrastructure, emerging innovations, and essential technology skills, to enhance learning, improve operational efficiency, and support lifelong skills development.
We work to bridge traditionally fragmented parts of the education sector, fostering collaboration between EdTech innovators and educators to ensure technology is grounded in evidence, delivers meaningful learning outcomes, and contributes to a thriving UK economy.
Education and EdTech programme activity
Click on the tabs below to find out what activity our Education and EdTech programme is working on.
Upcoming events
Inside the AI Content Store: Updates and feedback session for techUK members
London Workshop
AI Preparedness: Strategy, Culture and Infrastructure for Universities
Snowflake London Office, 3 Crown Place, London, EC2A 4EB ConferenceProgramme pillars
The techUK Education and EdTech Council is structured around three key pillars, each reflecting a distinct area where technology is shaping the future of education. This division ensures that Council members can focus on the most pressing challenges and opportunities within their area of expertise while maintaining a coordinated approach to sector-wide innovation.
Education 2030 – Tech Foundations (Schools)
For schools to embrace AI, automation, and digital transformation, they must first have access to secure, future-proof technology foundations. This stream focuses on overcoming barriers to digital adoption, ensuring schools can modernise without increasing risks or operational burdens.
Key areas of focus:
- Smarter procurement – Promoting transparent, scalable technology procurement models.
- Cybersecurity and digital resilience – Ensuring secure digital infrastructure and best practices for safeguarding data.
- Interoperability and open systems – Advocating for open APIs to prevent vendor lock-in and unlock innovation.
- AI and automation for efficiency – Supporting school leaders in making informed technology decisions.
Related resources:
Education 2030 – Tech Foundations (Higher Education)
Universities face legacy IT challenges, cybersecurity risks, and fragmented data ecosystems. This stream works to modernise higher education institutions by improving system interoperability, security, and digital capabilities.
Key areas of focus:
- Aligning national bodies to create unified technology frameworks – Bringing together policymakers, institutions, and industry to create coherent, forward-thinking digital strategies.
- Breaking down silos through the "Outside-In" Series – Ensuring higher education leaders have continuous touchpoints with external industries, learning from sectors such as finance, healthcare, and smart infrastructure.
- Overcoming legacy challenges – Addressing outdated student record systems, integration challenges, and procurement inefficiencies through shared best practices.
- Building cyber-resilience – Ensuring universities have access to the tools, guidance, and expertise needed to protect student data, research, and institutional operations.
Related resources:
Education 2030 – Tech Foundations (Further Education)
Further education providers face a complex mix of infrastructure gaps, diverse learner needs, and evolving digital demands. This stream supports colleges and training providers in building secure, inclusive, and future-ready technology foundations, ensuring they can advance their digital maturity and respond to both local and sector-wide priorities.
Key areas of focus:
- Digital maturity – Helping providers assess and improve their overall digital capability, from infrastructure and cyber security to governance and strategic planning, using sector frameworks and shared best practice.
- Digital inclusion and flexible learning – Embedding online and blended delivery as a core offer to widen access for learners regardless of geography, personal circumstances, or connectivity.
- Leadership and workforce digital capability – Building confidence, governance, and strategic capacity so digital transformation is embedded across the organisation.
- Data maturity and interoperability – Strengthening how FE collects, manages, and uses data to inform decisions, connect systems, and prepare for responsible adoption of AI.
Related resources:
EdTech 2030 – Emerging Modalities
The future of education is not just about infrastructure it’s about how learning itself is evolving. AI, AR/VR, and personalised learning experiences are creating new opportunities for education at all levels. This stream explores how emerging technologies can reshape pedagogy, lifelong learning, and skills development.
Key areas of focus:
- Scaling AI-driven personalised learning – Exploring how AI can enhance adaptive learning, assessment, and career navigation, creating more responsive, individualised education pathways.
- Advancing immersive and gamified learning – Building on insights from the UK’s gaming, AI, and pedagogy sectors to create high-impact, research-backed learning experiences.
- Eliminating silos through the "One EdTech" campaign – Unifying the UK’s fragmented EdTech ecosystem, ensuring stronger links between schools, universities, training providers, and industry.
- Supporting EdTech growth in domestic and international markets – Ensuring the UK’s EdTech sector has the investment, policy support, and market access needed to scale.
Related resources:
Member contributions
Click on the tabs to see what our members have been contributing.
Education and EdTech Groups and Council
Education and EdTech Council
The Education and EdTech Council will play a crucial role in setting the strategic direction for techUK’s work in education and EdTech, ensuring long-term success and impact across the sector.
Tech Foundations (Schools) Working Group
This group focuses on equipping schools with the infrastructure, devices, and leadership capabilities needed to deliver 21st-century education.
Tech Foundations (Higher Education) Working Group
This group aims to align national bodies on the role of technology in securing HE institutions, introduce best practices from other sectors, and address legacy challenges.
Tech Foundations (Further Education) Working Group
This group supports colleges and training providers in building secure, inclusive, and future-ready technology foundations, ensuring they can advance their digital maturity and respond to both local and sector-wide priorities.
EdTech 2030 - Emerging Modalities Working Group
This group leverages the UK’s leadership in pedagogy, technology, and gaming to drive innovation in education.
Education updates
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Education and EdTech team
Austin Earl
Austin Earl
Austin leads techUK’s Education and EdTech programme, shaping strategies that support the digital transformation of schools, colleges, and universities. His work focuses on strengthening the UK’s education technology ecosystem, enhancing core technology foundations, and advancing the adoption of emerging technologies to improve educational outcomes.
Austin also chairs the EdTech Advisory Panel for AI in Education, contributing to national discussions on the future of EdTech, AI, and the UK's Education system.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 07891 743 932
- Website:
- www.techuk.org
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spencer-earl/
Francesca Richiusa
Francesca Richiusa
Fran serves as the Programme Team Assistant within techUK’s Public Sector Market Programmes, where she is responsible for delivering comprehensive team support, managing administrative functions, and fostering strong relationships with members.
Prior to joining techUK in May 2025, Fran built a meaningful career in the charitable and local government sectors. She worked extensively with both victims and perpetrators of crime, and notably led the coordination of Domestic Homicide Reviews across Surrey—an initiative aimed at identifying lessons and preventing future incidents of domestic abuse.
Outside of work, Fran is an avid traveller and a proud cat mum who enjoys unwinding with her feline companions.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.techuk.org/
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-richiusa/
Tracy Modha
Tracy Modha
Tracy supports the marketing of several areas at techUK, including Cyber Exchange, Central Government, Cyber Resilience, Defence, Education, Health and Social Care, Justice and Emergency Services, Local Public Services, Nations and Regions and National Security.
Tracy joined techUK in March 2022, having worked in the education sector for 19 years, covering administration, research project support, IT support and event/training support. My most outstanding achievement has been running three very successful international conferences and over 300 training courses booked all over the globe!
Tracy has a great interest in tech. Gaming and computing have been a big part of her life, and now electric cars are an exciting look at the future. She has warmed to Alexa, even though it can sometimes be sassy!
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 02073312000
- Website:
- www.techuk.org,www.techuk.org
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracymodha83,https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracymodha83
