Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced graduates will have the opportunity to apply for a place on new artificial intelligence (AI) and data science masters courses starting in autumn 2020.
The move will enable 2,500 people to develop new digital skills or retrain to help find new employment in the UK’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence and data science sectors.
The government has joined forces with the Office for Students, universities and industry partners to create a fund of up to £24 million to increase the number of highly-skilled workers in AI and data science roles. The cash will provide places for graduates from a range of backgrounds – both those that have a degree in science, technology, engineering, maths or social sciences and those that have studied other subjects to date. Scholarships will be made available to support applications from diverse backgrounds.
Applicants could include people returning to work after a career break and looking to retrain in a new profession, under-represented groups in the AI and digital workforce. 1000 scholarships will specifically target the female, black and disabled demographics.
Statistics from a Tech Nation and Royal Society report reveal women make up only 19 per cent of the tech workforce and people from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background represent just 4 per cent of the UK tech industry.
Successful students will have flexible access to study and course content so they can fit their studies around their daily lives. Students will undertake paid work placements to help maximise their employment opportunities at the end of their course which could see them land roles as machine learning engineers, data scientists, research scientists or AI architects.
The announcement is part of the government’s commitment to increase R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.
Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “It is vital we increase diversity across our tech sector and give everyone with the aptitude and talent the opportunity to build a successful career.
“This will help make sure artificial intelligence developed in the UK reflects the needs and make-up of society as a whole which will also help mitigate the risk of biased technologies being developed.
Through these new AI and data science conversion courses we are working with industry and academia to develop and maintain the best AI workforce in the world.”
In addition to these new conversion courses, the Government is also supporting industry-funded AI Masters, prestigious Alan Turing Institute AI research fellowships and 16 dedicated Centres at universities across the country to train 1000 extra AI PhDs.
To boost the use of AI in the public sector the World Economic Forum has published new guidelines to help the public sector embrace the technology to help drive efficiencies and prepare for future risks.
The guidance will also help established companies, start-ups and new entrants to the AI sector compete on a level playing field for government contracts and drive adoption of ethical practices by tech companies.
If you would like to join our community and read more articles like this then please click here.
Post written by: Matt Brown
RELATED ARTICLES
December 12, 2023
Homeland - Artificial intelligence companies showcase defence capabilities
More than 70 AI companies shared how their innovations can enhance defence’s current and future capabilities at the recent inaugural
September 18, 2023
Homeland - National Centre for Defence and Security Artificial Intelligence established
QinetiQ and the University of Lincoln have signed an MOU which will see the establishment of a partnership to develop
