Atos backs AI skills programme for up to 650,000 West Midlands learners

Digital services company Atos has partnered with education platform Futures Readiness to provide free AI education resources to schools and collages across the West Midlands.

The initiative, which Atos is co-funding with the government’s Tech First Youth programme, aims to help around 650,00 students and educators understand the impact of AI on education, work and society through regularly updated learning materials.

Atos said the programme is being delivered in collaboration with Birmingham Metropolitan College’s Digital Technical Excellence College, the Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust and the Rigby Foundation, and has received endorsement from Birmingham City Council.

Futures Readiness will publish new interactive content every three weeks to reflect the pace of change in AI. The resources cover developments in artificial intelligence, education and the workplace, combining videos with discussion prompts and classroom activities designed to encourage critical thinking.

A key part of the programme is the concept of “AI discernment”, which encourages students to understand when AI should be used, when it should be questioned and when it may not be appropriate.

The programme provides age-specific content for pupils from Upper Key Stage 2 (ages nine to eleven) through to Key Stage 5 (ages 16-18), as well as resources for teachers and other education professionals.

The organisations said the initiative aims to help education keep pace with rapid advances in AI by providing regularly updated resources rather than static training materials.

Michael Herron, head of Atos UK and Ireland, said: “I’m delighted to be able to support the communities we work in with AI readiness skills that help young people to thrive in a future workplace where humans and AI co-exist.”

The partnership represents Atos’ third investment in AI skills development in the West Midlands this year.

In February, the company announced 30 apprenticeships at its Sovereign Delivery Centre in Solihull, focused on areas including AI, automation and data hosting. The following month, it launched an online digital skills programme with Lynx Learning, giving people not in education, employment or training access to AI, digital and employability courses.