Four projects in Barnsley will share more than £800,000 in government funding to deliver practical artificial intelligence training for businesses, healthcare staff, construction workers and people returning to employment.
The investment comes through the AI Upskilling Challenge Fund and forms part of Barnsley’s Tech Town programme, which is testing how artificial intelligence can be introduced into local workplaces and public services.
The programme brings together Barnsley Council, training providers, employers and community organisations. Each project will address a different skills requirement, with an emphasis on using AI in established working processes rather than providing general introductions to the technology.
Barnsley College will operate mobile training units visiting healthcare and social care settings. These will provide introductory sessions for frontline workers and members of the wider community, enabling participants to explore how AI could assist with everyday tasks and professional development.
Another project, delivered by Atheni, will work with 140 employees across six manufacturing, engineering and construction companies. Most participants will be aged 40 or over, reflecting a focus on developing skills among experienced workers whose existing roles may change as businesses adopt new technologies.
The training will use examples drawn from participating companies’ documents and working practices. Employees will examine applications including preparing quotations, responding to tenders and completing safety paperwork, where information often needs to be gathered from several sources before it can be submitted or approved.
Using familiar business documents provides a practical setting for learning how AI tools handle information, but organisations will also need to establish appropriate controls over commercially sensitive material and check generated outputs before relying on them.
Fossu, operating through its Ignite AI programme, will work with Barnsley YMCA, Postnatal Minds and Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce to deliver activities for 100 residents. Its programme will focus particularly on women returning to work and younger people, using practical challenges and collaborative development sessions to address problems identified by local businesses and communities.
The fourth project will be delivered by Optimise Cyber Solutions and Abbeydale Training. It will support 20 small businesses in adopting AI safely, combining digital skills training with guidance on responsible implementation.
For smaller employers, introducing AI can involve decisions about access to data, the suitability of software, staff responsibilities and the reliability of automated work. Training that incorporates those operational questions may help businesses evaluate specific applications before committing to wider deployment.
The four projects cover different parts of the labour market. Healthcare staff may need support identifying appropriate uses for administrative technology, while engineering companies face different requirements involving technical documents and customer quotations. People returning to employment may benefit from opportunities to demonstrate familiarity with tools increasingly used in office-based roles.
Barnsley was designated the UK’s first Tech Town in February 2026. The initiative brings central and local government together with education providers and employers to examine how digital technology can support regional economic development.
The government intends to use lessons from the programme when considering similar approaches elsewhere in Britain. Whether the training models can be replicated will depend on delivery costs, participation and the outcomes recorded by the organisations involved.
The newly funded projects establish training provision rather than completed productivity improvements or employment outcomes. Their delivery will provide an opportunity to examine which approaches employees and businesses can put into practice, and how those skills can be maintained after the initial programmes have ended.
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