CMI selected to partner with Government to support AI Skills Boost

• The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has been selected by DSIT as a strategic partner to support the rollout of the UK’s flagship AI Skills Boost initiative.
• DSIT tasks CMI with a mandate to support the development of pathways for the nation's workforce to increase AI use and grow the economy.
• The partnership complements CMI’s new Leadership for AI qualifications that equip managers with the skills they need to drive productivity through AI adoption.

LONDON, UK — The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has been selected as a strategic partner by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to support the government's ambitious AI Skills Boost programme.

This joint government-industry campaign aims to upskill 10 million UK workers by 2030, ensuring the UK economy is fit for the future by giving the workforce practical AI skills for work.

With its recognised expertise in helping managers and leaders to gain the skills and confidence they need to deliver change and promote innovation, DSIT has asked CMI to support rollout of the programme that aims to demystify what AI skills mean in practical, everyday use in order to increase adoption and fuel economic growth.
Kanishka Narayan MP, Minister for AI and Online Safety, said of the partnership:

AI presents a once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to grow our economy, but to realise these benefits, we need to ensure people right across the UK have the skills to use it with confidence.

That’s why I’m delighted to welcome the CMI to the AI Skills Boost scheme. Together, we are on a mission to upskill 10 million workers with essential AI skills by 2030, helping people seize new opportunities, supporting businesses to adopt AI, and ensuring the UK workforce is ready for the jobs of the future.

Through AI Skills Boost workers from across the UK can access free foundational AI Skills training designed to help people build confidence using AI in their day-to-day roles.

The DSIT partnership comes as new research from CMI finds that while UK firms are embracing the AI boom, game-changing productivity boosts are being held back by both a lack of skill and confidence in managers and leaders.

The report, Artificial Intelligence; Real Leadership: The Management Imperative in AI Adoption, takes one of the first major looks at how the AI boom is changing management and decision-making inside British workplaces, and whether organisations are prepared for the shift.

The report found that turning AI implementation into real business returns has hit a leadership roadblock, not a technology challenge. Just 12% of managers feel very confident leading AI adoption. And 38% lack the management training to make it work. The report also found that while UK firms are investing heavily in AI, one in four (26%) managers have yet to see any boost to productivity.

CMI responded to these findings with the launch of new  Leadership for AI qualifications to help leaders and managers at every career stage to set their teams up for success. Developed in collaboration with TechSkills, the UK’s employer-led accreditation body for digital skills, which brought together industry experts to define the capabilities required for modern leadership, the new courses ensure managers have fundamental literacy around AI, cybersecurity and data to support their leadership of AI adoption

Petra Wilton, Director of Policy and External Affairs at CMI, said:

We are incredibly proud that DSIT has recognised CMI’s distinct expertise and entrusted us with a clear role in the AI Skills Boost programme. The government’s goal is to make our workforce fit for the future, embracing the value of AI to deliver growth.

We will play our part to support widespread adoption of the AI Skills Boost and also work to ensure managers at every level possess both the practical AI literacy highlighted in the government's campaign and the deeply human leadership capability necessary to manage workplace transformation safely, ethically and productively.