The key to the UK’s AI success lies in investment in training and upskilling
As AI rapidly reshapes the UK economy, the greatest risk is that innovation surpasses ability, and people are left without the skills they need to succeed in an AI-driven world.
At a time when the UK Government is committing £2 billion, spanning 2026-2030, to position the country as an AI leader, infrastructure alone is not enough to deliver transformation. Even the most advanced tools are ineffective without people who know how to use them. To generate real value from AI, skills and training must be built into strategies from day one.
Skills cannot be an afterthought
AI investment often begins with a focus on infrastructure such as models, platforms and compute. In too many cases, skills development is treated as optional or put on the backburner.
As a result, the automation that reduces costs in the short term can leave employees disengaged, limits creativity and creates resistance to change. Efficiency gains alone are just not enough to drive sustainable innovation.
The focus must be on equipping people to work alongside AI. This doesn’t mean all staff must become machine learning engineers — the objective should be to give teams the confidence to use AI to solve problems, make better decisions and focus on higher-value work. That is where long-term return on investment comes from.
Build skills from within, and widening access
Most organisations already have strong domain expertise in-house. With the right support, existing teams can evolve their roles by using AI to automate repetitive tasks and focus on higher-value, creative work. This requires skills development to be ongoing and embedded into AI strategy, change programmes and everyday workflows. Training must also be practical, helping employees apply AI to real challenges, experiment safely and learn through feedback.
At the same time, widening access to high-quality, hands-on AI education is essential. Removing barriers to enterprise-grade tools and learning resources allows students, early-career professionals and career changers alike to build relevant skills, while enabling organisations to upskill roles that will increasingly be shaped by automation.
Make AI real and trustworthy
Confidence in AI grows when people first hand see results of its effectiveness in their own environment. Deploying AI securely into real workflows is critical; this means tackling data siloes, establishing clear governance and embedding AI into the tools people already use.
This approach builds trust and encourages cross-team collaboration. When AI supports decisions across product, operations and customer service teams, it becomes a shared business capability rather than a standalone technical project.
AI leadership starts with people
For the UK to be a leader in the global AI race, training must sit at the heart of innovation. The organisations that succeed will be those that use data and AI to solve real problems at every level of the workforce.
Investing in broad upskilling is a national priority, not isolated to specific industries or businesses. We need to act now to ensure the AI era delivers inclusion, opportunity and shared progress. The UK must collectively stop treating AI skills investment as optional and start building the AI future from the ground up, one empowered individual at a time.
Author
Michael Green
Managing Director, UK and Ireland, Databricks
Michael Green
Managing Director, UK and Ireland, Databricks
Michael Green, UK&I Managing Director at Databricks, shares his thoughts on why investment in training and upskilling initiatives will be key for successful transformation, and securing the UK’s position as a global leader in the AI race.
Such initiatives will serve to nurture existing employee talent, build confidence and trust, and ensure the technology is used to its full potential, to deliver ROI. Businesses must shift their view of investment in training and upskilling programmes to being a crucial step, not an optional after thought.
techUK's Skills, Talent and Diversity Programme activities
techUK work with our members to signpost the opportunity of digital jobs and ensure these opportunities are open to people of diverse backgrounds. We strive to help our members attract, recruit, and retain a diverse workforce, whilst showcasing their work on workplace innovation. Visit the programme page here.
Jobs and Skills
To make sure that the UK is a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone, it is crucial that people have the digital skills needed for life and work. Rapid digitalisation is creating surging demand for digital skills across the economy and the current domestic skills pipeline cannot keep up. Digitalisation is also leading to rapid changes in the labour market that means some traditional roles are being displaced. There is an urgent need to better match the demand and supply.
The future of work is changing. Technology is powering a growth in flexible work across the economy, whilst emerging technologies such as robotics and AI are set to become common place. techUK believes the UK must consider the implications of digital transformation in the world of work now, equipping people and businesses across the country with the skills and conditions needed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the 4IR.
Diversity and inclusion sits at the heart of digital growth. The tech sector understands that innovation thrives from diversity of thought and is continually looking to attract, recruit and retain a diverse workforce. techUK is proud to support a number of initiatives that promote this, from doing outreach work to ensure that people regardless of their background are inspired into tech, to initiatives that help build more inclusive workplaces for those with different accessibility needs.
Returners programmes offer a supported bridge back to work for people who have taken a career break. Providing ways for people to ease back into work after a career break is a vital way to make sure we do not lose out on their talent and experience. The techUK returners hub was created as a one-stop-shop for people looking to return to a career in digital.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Michael Green, UK&I Managing Director at Databricks, shares his thoughts on why investment in training and upskilling initiatives will be key for successful transformation, and securing the UK’s position as a global leader in the AI race.
Such initiatives will serve to nurture existing employee talent, build confidence and trust, and ensure the technology is used to its full potential, to deliver ROI. Businesses must shift their view of investment in training and upskilling programmes to being a crucial step, not an optional after thought.
