Salesforce joins new UK government-led initiative to train 7.5 million workers in essential AI skills and calls for national digital skills platform
Leading UK businesses including Capita and Heathrow realising significant productivity gains with Agentforce, Salesforce’s digital labour platform
15,000 delegates attend Agentforce World Tour London, Salesforce forges new partnership with Brunel Centre for Artificial Intelligence, and awards $2.35M in grants for AI literacy
This week, the Prime Minister announced a new national skills drive to support the development of AI skills, with a commitment to train 7.5 million UK workers in AI by 2030. These steps are crucial to driving economic growth.
Salesforce, which has long advocated for a national digital skills platform to boost skills training, has joined this initiative and will work closely with the UK government to increase opportunities and access to AI training across the country.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology Peter Kyle said: “Making sure workers have the skills they need for jobs in and with AI is absolutely fundamental to the economic growth we are delivering through our Plan for Change. “Earlier this week we set out plans to boost the AI skills of 7.5 million Brits over the next five years, and it’s great to see Salesforce join the effort to equip UK workers with the skills they need to thrive in an AI-powered economy.”
Earlier this week we set out plans to boost the AI skills of 7.5 million Brits over the next five years, and it’s great to see Salesforce join the effort to equip UK workers with the skills they need to thrive in an AI-powered economy.
Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology
Last year, Salesforce chose London for its first AI centre as part of our commitment to invest $4 billion in the UK over five years. Since its opening, the AI Center has welcomed 12,500 visitors, hosted over 220 events, and trained more than 1,000 Agentblazers.
I am proud to continue our investment in AI and skills training. The Salesforce UK AI Center will partner with the Brunel Centre for Artificial Intelligence to curate thought leadership research and offer new capability-building workshops focused on AI and business strategy.
Additionally, we are awarding grants totalling $2.35 million to UK organisations like Big Education, Catch22 and Urban Synergy, which are dedicated to digital and AI literacy, skill building, and STEM career pathways.
UK companies are leading the way on agentic AI adoption
A recent Salesforce survey of C-suite leaders in the UK highlights the significant progress companies are making in adopting agentic AI.
Almost four out of five (78%) leaders report that their companies are already using AI agents, with 72% rating their technical infrastructure’s adaptability to AI as good or very good, enabling rapid growth and scaling.
The productivity benefits are evident. Employees are saving between three and 10 hours per week by using AI agents, which translates to up to a full day each week freed from routine, low-impact tasks.
For employers, these tangible gains are adding up, with an anticipated 26% increase in employee productivity.
Spurred by the $6 trillion digital labor market opportunity, thousands of customers around the world are investing in Agentforce, Salesforce’s digital labor platform, to build and deploy agents that can reason, decide, act, and drive meaningful outcomes 24/7.
The urgency for UK businesses to capitalise on these AI opportunities is evident as today we welcome over 15,000 delegates from diverse industries to the Agentforce World Tour London.
Companies like Heathrow and Capita are witnessing the transformative impact of agentic AI firsthand. With Agentforce, they’re revolutionising their respective industries, driving significant productivity gains, enhancing customer experiences, boosting revenue, and enabling human workers to focus on more high-value areas across their businesses.
Salesforce calls for a national digital skills platform
Every board and business must prepare for this organisational transformation, equipping their people for a workforce that is both human and digital. This is the digital labour revolution.
I’m encouraged to see the UK government and business leaders committing to AI training and reskilling, as we position ourselves as a global leader in AI talent.
Our research shows nearly one in four UK workers will be reassigned to different roles in the near future, as the world of work is being re-written with digital labour.
The majority (84%) of UK senior leaders plan to train their teams on AI within the next twelve months, with 40% planning to do so within the next six months, investing 12% of an average salary.
This represents one of the biggest skills investments seen in a lifetime.
Salesforce continues to call for the establishment of a national online digital skills platform, bringing together programmes from industry and training providers. This will help us scale these efforts and provide better awareness and access to the essential skills training people need.
Ensuring that the workforce of today has the skills required for the jobs of the future will require all stakeholders to act and work together.
Learn more:
- Tune in to World Tour London on Salesforce+
- Read more World Tour London news here
- Learn more about Agentforce
- Listen to Zahra Bahrololoumi speak to the AI Adoption Podcast about the transformative potential and responsibility of agentic AI
Research methodology:
The findings of the Salesforce’s UKI Digital Labour Trends survey are based on a quantitative survey conducted with 110 C-level executives involved in the decision-making of AI integration or automation for their companies. The sample includes 100 respondents from the UK and 10 from Ireland, representing organisations with 200 or more employees across a broad range of industries. The survey captured insights from a diverse mix of C-suite roles, reflecting perspectives from both medium-sized enterprises and large-scale businesses.
