Innovate UK partners with PwC to launch new AI Skills Hub
Innovate UK has launched its AI Skills Hub. The platform, which was developed together with PwC, will help connect individuals, employers and AI partners to help supply skills to the technology sector.
With organisations still struggling to tap the apparent potential of AI, access to skilled labour is increasingly touted as the key to unlocking the technology. According to Zlatina Loudjeva, partner with PwC, the AI skills hub will provide businesses in four industries agriculture and food processing; construction; creative; and transport, logistics, and warehousing.
The AI Skills Hub aims to unify the fragmented AI learning and employment landscape and fill the gap between employers’ demand and available skills,” Loudjeva explained. “This can help organisations to optimise their operations, innovate their products and services, and ultimately create new roles and skills for their employees. By expanding access to relevant tech and relevant training, the hub can give a significant boost to the UK economy, addressing long-standing productivity issues.”
Looking at the four industries targeted, PwC conducted research for UKRI which revealed that over 73% of employers in those sectors currently report skills shortages in areas including AI systems, AI ethics, governance and regulations and machine learning.
The construction industry, in particular, employs 2.7 million individuals, representing 8% of the United Kingdom's workforce. However, like many industries, it faces a productivity challenge, experiencing only a 1% increase in productivity over the past two decades – something which PwC believes its new partnership can help tackle.
“AI is here to stay,” Loudjeva argued, “it will develop faster and faster, and presents huge opportunities for employers and employees alike… Put simply, to benefit from AI, workers must take charge of their development, because you have to be in it to win it. By improving links between employers, training providers, and technology partners, the Hub aims to increase employability and AI readiness in sectors where there is a clear need. Providing these essential skills is not only key to the UK's economic stability and prosperity but also to promoting greater social cohesion.”
Gary Cutts, Innovate UK executive director for digital and technologies, further emphasised the perceived potential for AI to boost the flagging construction sector. Noting that he believed the technology “holds immense potential to transform construction by driving efficiency, improving safety, and enhancing decision-making processes”, he suggested that machine learning models could be used to predict equipment failures, forecast demand for materials, and ensure their timely delivery.
Cutts concluded, “In addition, AI-powered cameras and sensors can elevate safety standards on construction sites, detecting compliance with regulations and identifying hazards in real time. By integrating these technologies, the construction sector has the potential to turbocharge productivity and growth, at a time when building is a top government priority.”
Innovate UK is an innovation agency, which provides money and support to organisations to make new products and services. It is a non-departmental public body operating at arm's length from the government as part of the UK Research and Innovation organisation. The AI skills hub is a national investment to help organisations across the UK overcome challenges in upskilling employees. The hub aims to increase employer uptake of curated, sector-specific training on AI and contribute towards greater adoption and associated productivity gains.
