Applications are now open for the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) and data science conversion courses, which start in autumn 2020, the UK government has announced. The program will give 2500 people the opportunity to learn new digital skills or retrain in order to find employment opportunities in the AI and data science sectors.
The government has partnered with the Office for Students, universities and industry partners to raise £24m to fund these master’s courses. The fund has been awarded to 18 universities who are working with partner providers to deliver courses in 28 universities and colleges across England.
The move is part of efforts to boost the UK’s technology sector, with the government aiming to increase research and development investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. Last month, the UK government launched an online cyber-school to help develop a new generation of cybersecurity professionals.
Places will be available to graduates from a variety of subjects, including science, technology, engineering, maths or social sciences. Applicants could include those returning to work after a career break and looking to retrain in a new profession. The course is expected to enable opportunities to pursue careers in roles such as machine learning engineers, data scientists, research scientists and AI architects.
The program is also seeking to diversify the UK’s tech sector, with 1000 scholarships reserved for students from underrepresented backgrounds, specifically female, black and disabled demographics.
Successful applicants can study flexibly, fitting the course around their daily lives, and will undertake paid work placements to help maximize their employment opportunities at the end of their course.
Digital secretary Oliver Dowden commented: “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 AI 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.”
Those interested in the courses can find out more information and apply here.