Four training projects in Barnsley are set to share more than £800,000 from the AI Upskilling Challenge Fund. The funding, awarded today, 3 November 2026, aims to equip frontline care staff, builders, and mothers returning to work with practical artificial intelligence (AI) skills.
These local initiatives will deliver problem-solving AI tools directly to hospital wards, construction sites, and small businesses. The projects are designed to save time, boost confidence, and improve employability for participants.
Barnsley College will provide mobile AI training units for health and social care staff, while Atheni will assist 140 individuals in manufacturing, engineering, and construction firms. Fossu (Ignite AI), in partnership with Barnsley YMCA, Postnatal Minds, and Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, will run programmes for 100 residents, including women returning to work. Optimise Cyber Solutions, with Abbeydale Training, will support twenty small businesses in safely adopting AI.
The pilots are part of the Barnsley Tech Town initiative, which aims to demonstrate how AI can improve public services, strengthen local businesses, and create new job and skills opportunities. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan stated that the government will not leave people to navigate the changing workplaces alone, while Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, emphasised the importance of workers having the skills and confidence to be part of AI's impact on work.