Four Barnsley projects share £800,000 to bring AI skills to care workers and builders

SHOTS Desk · Tue · 3 Nov 2026 · 04:40 · Reported

Four organisations in Barnsley will share more than £800,000 from the AI Upskilling Challenge Fund to deliver practical artificial intelligence training to frontline care staff, construction workers, women returning to work, and small businesses.

Barnsley College will take mobile AI training units to hospital and social care staff. Atheni will support 140 people across six manufacturing, engineering and construction firms, using AI shaped around company documents and trade paperwork. Fossu, with Barnsley YMCA and other partners, will run challenge-led programmes for 100 residents including women returning to work and young people. Optimise Cyber Solutions and Abbeydale Training will help twenty small businesses adopt AI safely.

The awards by organisation are: Atheni £231,000, Optimise Cyber Solutions £200,000, Fossu £195,188, and Barnsley College £184,403.

AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the schemes would help set the standard for equipping people from all walks of life with AI sk

Read it at UK GovernmentSHOTS Desk