Economy · Budget & tax · 6 November 2026
Barnsley training projects awarded over £800,000 for AI skills
Cabinet Office has announced that four projects in Barnsley have received over £800,000 to teach practical AI skills. The funding targets healthcare, construction, and small business staff. This is part of a pilot scheme that may serve as a national model.
Cabinet Office confirmed on Tuesday 3 November that four training projects in Barnsley have been awarded over £800,000 in funding. The money is allocated to bring practical artificial intelligence skills to frontline healthcare workers, construction professionals, and small businesses. These initiatives form part of the Barnsley Tech Town initiative, demonstrating the government's commitment to local skills delivery.
Barnsley College will provide mobile AI training units to hospital and social care staff under the plans. Atheni will assist 140 people, mostly aged 40 or over, across six firms in manufacturing, engineering, and construction. Fossu (Ignite AI) and partners will run programmes for 100 residents, focusing on women returning to work and young people. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan stated: "I know people are worried about what AI could mean for their careers."
Optimise Cyber Solutions and Abbeydale Training will support twenty small businesses to adopt AI safely. The department expects this pilot to serve as a national model. The funding is limited to these four specific projects in Barnsley. The announcement does not state how long the training programmes will run or the specific curriculum details for each provider.
Written by StreetOwl from Cabinet Office’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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