Funding
Below are the main public schemes that help employers pay for staff training in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each scheme sets its own rules on who qualifies, which courses count and which providers can deliver them, often approved apprenticeship providers, colleges or business schools, so check the official page before you rely on a figure. Talk to us about the training itself, and we will shape a proposal around your people.
England
AI units
Growth and Skills Levy: apprenticeship units. Short units, bookable since April 2026, include three AI Leadership units of 30 hours. Employers who do not pay the levy have the full unit cost paid up to the funding rate; levy payers use their levy funds. Delivered by registered apprenticeship providers.
England
10% or 30%
Skills Bootcamps. Courses of up to 16 weeks in priority sectors, digital among them. For existing staff, employers with fewer than 250 staff pay 10% and larger employers 30%. Run by providers contracted by government or local and mayoral authorities.
United Kingdom
90% funded
Help to Grow: Management. A 12 week course of about 50 hours at accredited business schools, for businesses with 5 to 249 employees that have traded for over a year. Government funds 90% and the participant pays £750.
United Kingdom
Free
AI Skills Boost. Free short AI foundations courses for every UK adult from government and industry partners, on the AI Skills Hub, with a badge on completion. Part of the aim to give 10 million workers AI skills by 2030.
Scotland
Up to £15,000
Flexible Workforce Development Fund. August 2026 to December 2027: up to £15,000 per employer and £5,000 per learner, for priority groups of workers earning under £33,000. Delivered by colleges.
Wales
50%, or 75% for AI
Flexible Skills Programme. For businesses based in Wales: 50% of accredited training costs, up to £50,000 per application, and 75% under the AI Skills pilot, with training completed by the end of March 2027.
Northern Ireland
90% funded
Skills Focus. For firms in Northern Ireland with fewer than 250 employees: the Department for the Economy funds 90% of training at Level 2 and above in priority sectors, delivered by the six further education colleges.
United Kingdom
Tax relief
Business tax. HMRC's Business Income Manual treats staff training and development costs as an allowable expense in most cases.
Ireland and the EU
See our other sites
Irish and EU schemes such as Skillnet Ireland and the national training funds across Europe are on aiupskill.ie and aiupskill.eu.
Checked against official pages on 27 October 2026: apprenticeship units, Skills Bootcamps, Help to Grow: Management, AI Skills Boost, Scottish Funding Council, Business Wales, Department for the Economy and HMRC. Rates and windows change each year.
Funding pays for the training. Your records show it happened. Every seat comes with certificates and a sponsor report, so one piece of work answers both. AI skills in the UK
Why UK employers are acting now
of UK businesses used at least one AI technology in September 2026, up from 23% a year earlier
Source: ONS, October 2026of UK businesses with 250 or more staff used AI in September 2026, against 29% of those with fewer than 10
Source: ONS, October 2026of UK businesses name limited AI skills, expertise or knowledge as a barrier to using AI
Source: DSIT, January 2026of UK businesses with 10 or more staff say more than half their workforce has had AI related training
Source: ONS, July 2026A free discovery call first, then a proposal fitted to your people.