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Guide
Free government AI training, explained in plain English
What free government AI training in the UK includes, who can take it, how to get the AI foundations badge, and where it stops.
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UK workers the government aims to upskill in AI by 20300m
Source: GOV.UK (DSIT and Skills England), 28 January 2026 ↗AI Skills Boost courses completed0.0mReported by the government in June 2026; counts courses, not people.
Source: GOV.UK (DSIT and DWP), 6 June 2026 ↗UK workers who feel confident using AI at work0%Research cited by the government, January 2026.
Source: GOV.UK (DSIT and Skills England), 28 January 2026 ↗Where the line sits
Free government AI training is real, and it is a good start
The UK runs free government AI training through a programme called AI Skills Boost, delivered with industry partners.
On 28 January 2026 it was expanded with the aim of giving 10 million workers key AI skills by 2030.
The government says every adult in the UK is eligible for the free, benchmarked courses.
This guide sets out what is on offer, how to access it, and where employer-specific training adds something the free courses cannot.
What the free courses cover well
- Writing clear instructions for AI tools
- Using AI for routine drafting and admin
- Simple automation without code
- Adjusting settings such as tone and privacy
- Basic risks and checking outputs for accuracy
What they leave to your employer
- Which tools your organisation has approved
- What data may and may not be used
- Who reviews and signs off AI-assisted work
- When and how to escalate an output
- Sector rules and client obligations
What is free
UK gov AI training: what AI Skills Boost includes
AI Skills Boost is a government and industry programme first announced by the Prime Minister at London Tech Week in June 2025.
Its free courses are developed by industry partners, including founding partners such as Accenture, Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Sage.
The government says the courses are online, open to all UK adults and can take as little as under 20 minutes.
They focus on using simple AI tools at work for tasks like drafting text, creating content and admin.
Selected courses are checked against Skills England’s AI foundation skills for work benchmark.
Anyone who completes a course covering all six foundation skills receives a virtual AI foundations badge.
- Writing clear instructions for AI tools
- Using AI tools to support routine processes and tasks
- Using simple software that automates work tasks
- Adjusting how an AI tool works to get better results
- Understanding the risks and consequences of AI use
- Analysing information using AI tools
85%
AI acts alone
130
65% of 200 tasks
Goes to a person
70
35% of 200 tasks
Illustrative batch with a typical confidence spread. Your real split comes from a pilot on your own work. Some decisions go to a person whatever the score.
How to access it
Free AI courses in the UK: how to start
The courses are listed on the government’s AI Skills Hub, which is free to use.
The government says users can create a learning profile there and follow a tailored learning journey beyond the foundations.
Look for the courses selected for AI Skills Boost if you want the benchmarked route to the badge.
The wider Hub also lists other AI learning material, so check each course’s provider, cost and level before you commit.
In June 2026 the government reported that more than 1.7 million AI Skills Boost courses had been completed.
Its explainer makes clear that completion counts cover courses of every level, not unique learners.
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For employers
Free training for the foundations, your own training for the workflow
For most organisations, free government AI training is a sensible first step for every member of staff.
They are generic by design, so they cannot teach your approved tools, your data rules or your sign-off process.
Skills England’s own employer tools stress that effective AI training should be practical and integrated into work.
That is where employer-specific, workflow-level training comes in.
Our AI training for business builds on the free foundations with your real tasks, your checkpoints and clear rules on escalation.
If the EU AI Act applies to you, our AI literacy training explains how the two fit together.
For most organisations, free government AI training is a sensible first step for every member of staff.
How it works
Four steps, one owner
Each system ships with a named person accountable for what it does.
01
01
Take the free foundations
Ask staff to complete an AI Skills Boost course on the AI Skills Hub and earn the badge.
02
02
Agree your rules
Decide which tools are approved, what data is off limits and who signs off AI-assisted work.
03
03
Train on real work
Run role-based sessions using your own tasks, with practice at checking and escalating.
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Keep a record
Record who completed which training, and refresh it as tools and rules change.
Questions
Asked and answered
Further reading
From the source
GOV.UK (DSIT and Skills England), 28 January 2026Free AI training for all, as government and industry programme expands ↗Skills England, GOV.UKAI foundation skills for work benchmark ↗The six skills a free course must cover to earn the badge.Department for Science, Innovation and TechnologyAI Skills Boost: explainer ↗What the programme is and what its completion figures count.GOV.UK (DSIT and DWP), 6 June 2026Entry-level jobs support, AI bootcamps and tech training ↗The latest AI Skills Boost progress update and new partners.DSIT and Skills EnglandAI Skills Hub ↗Where the free AI Skills Boost courses are listed.Skills England, GOV.UK, 10 June 2026New tools will help employers maximise AI productivity gains ↗The PRIMES principles and a free employer AI adoption checklist.
Keep reading
Related pages
TrainingAI training for business →AI training for business, with people who know when to step inTrainingAI literacy training →AI literacy training for everyone who touches AI at workTrainingAI workshops →An AI workshop that ends with a plan, not a demoConsultancyAI for small business →An AI consultant for small business, that starts small and stays safe
Next step
Tell us the work. We’ll show you where the line goes.
A 30-minute call. We map one workflow, what the AI could take, and where a person must stay in the loop.