Adults in the West Midlands to receive free AI training as part of regional growth plan

West Midlands adults are set to benefit from free AI training as part of the West Midlands Growth Plan, announced on 18 July by Mayor Richard Parker.

The initiative has promised an investment of £10 million into an AI Academy, which will equip existing workers with the technical skills required in the evolving digital economy.

It will also aim to facilitate entry into data-orientated careers, providing adults with the skills needed to obtain high-quality jobs as technology continues to modernise.

The West Midlands Combined Authority will be partnering with leading technology partners, universities, and community groups to deliver a region-wide plan that will expand and enhance the local workforce and national economy.

Mayor Richard Parker indicated that […] in a world where jobs are becoming increasingly digitalised, […] ‘AI will become a core skill just like English or Maths’

One of the main institutes set to be involved is the Centre for Cyber Resilience and Artificial Intelligence (CYBRAI). Opened by the University of Wolverhampton in May 2025, it aims to understand, adapt to, and expand AI’s capabilities.

Mayor Richard Parker indicated that this scheme is vital in a world where jobs are becoming increasingly digitalised, claiming that “AI will become a core skill just like English or Maths”.

Parker suggested that the AI Academy will contribute to the project’s wider aim of creating 100,000 new jobs, an endeavour that the Universities of Warwick and Birmingham presented as achievable in an independent report released in May 2025.

Prominent businesses in the West Midlands have also praised the inclusion of an AI Academy within the Growth Plan.

[Mayor Parker said that] an understanding of AI will release the ‘untapped talent and potential’ within the community

Matt Beckley, a Partnerships Director at KEON Homes, suggested that the “targeted support” to foster AI skills “aligns with national priorities and the region’s unique strengths”.

However, the plan also suggests that these investments into AI will inevitably replace some jobs within the everyday economy, putting up to 2/3 of careers in the West Midlands at risk.

Despite this, Mr Parker stressed the importance of ensuring that West Midlands workers are not disadvantaged while technological advancements revolutionise the world of work, emphasising how an understanding of AI will release the “untapped talent and potential” within the community.