Barnsley named UK’s first Tech Town – with local schools and college, businesses, NHS and more getting bespoke government support to unleash opportunities of AI

People across Barnsley could see improved public services, better support in local schools, quicker NHS care and new opportunities for jobs and skills as it becomes the UK’s first government backed Tech Town.   

Announced today (Tuesday 3 February), Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has set out plans to put the full heft of government behind the town’s rollout of AI across everything from education to health and more.   

Tech Town status will position Barnsley as the UK’s trailblazer, acting as a national blueprint for how AI can improve everyday life. From AI tools that help GPs triage patients quicker, to new digital training for adults – today marks the start of a transformation designed to make like easier, fairer and more prosperous in Barnsley.    

Over the next 18 months, government will work closely with local business leaders, educators, NHS workers and more to build local talent who can access the jobs of the future, and make local services fit for the AI era. Unleashing AI’s potential to turbo-charge how we learn and upskill is a central part of Barnsley’s regeneration plans, and the government’s ambitions for the UK overall too. Barnsley is set to forge a path the rest of the country, could follow – one that makes sure communities left behind by the economic changes of the 20th century, can seize the benefits of the 21st.  

This will include:   

Government will use its convening power to get leading tech companies involved in this work in Barnsley, with Microsoft and Cisco’s UK CEOs joining Kendall on a visit to Barnsley, to see the town’s digital and AI ambitions first-hand. Leading tech firms including Cisco, Microsoft, Adobe and Google are backing the plans – with all 3 pledging a package of initiatives to boost Barnsley’s AI and digital talent, so that people of all ages can build the skills that will help them access the jobs of the future in growing tech industries. Key local organisations like Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce and Barnsley CVS are also set to partner the Tech Town initiative. 

This follows a raft of government action last week to unleash AI’s potential as a force for national renewal: from the launch of free AI training for all as part of commitment to upskill 10 million UK workers, to the naming of Lanarkshire as the latest AI Growth Zone, as well as a £36 million investment to upgrade the AI Research Resource supercomputer in Cambridge. 

Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:  

Barnsley Council Leader Sir Stephen Houghton CBE said:  

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: 

UK government AI Ambassador, and 2024 Nobel Prize Winner for Economics, Simon Johnson said:  

Naming Barnsley as the UK’s first Tech Town is about putting local residents in the driving seat. Over the coming months, they will be invited to a series of “Tech Town Halls” - giving local people a real say in how AI is used across the community and an opportunity to feedback their experience of using the technology.   

Barnsley is already embracing AI and other technologies to improve people’s lives. Delivery company EVRi recently trialled robot delivery dogs in the town, it is one of the first UK councils to roll out Copilot at scale and it is being used to support overstretched social care teams from paperwork.   

Becoming a Tech Town will help take these bold ambitions to the next level. Just last month the government announced plans to make safe AI-powered tutoring tools available to up to 450,000 children in a bid to level the playing field for disadvantaged pupils. Trials will start in summer this year with a number of schools in Barnsley being considered.  

While Barnsley’s Seam Digital Campus is set to be expanded into an AI campus; to help local firms make use of AI, to link them with universities and investors, and to help build a pipeline of local skilled tech talent.  

Becoming a Tech Town will help take these bold ambitions to the next level. Just last month the government announced plans to co-design and trial safe AI-powered tutoring tools in schools. These tools could support up to 450,000 disadvantaged children; levelling the playing field for those who cannot afford private tutors. The co-design will start in the summer term this year with schools in Barnsley being considered.   

Support for Barnsley Tech Town

Nathan Hancock, Vice President and MD, Adobe UK, Ireland and Middle East, said: 

Sarah Walker, Chief Executive, Cisco UK and Ireland, said: 

Barnsley College CEO and Principal, David Akeroyd, said: 

Being named the UK’s first government‑backed Tech Town is a significant moment for Barnsley, and Barnsley College is proud to be at the heart of this ambition. This work reflects the long-standing commitment, vision, expertise and dedication of the College and our partners, who continue to push boundaries and provide a sector-leading digital curriculum to ensure our community can build the skills needed for an AI‑enabled future. Together, we are creating new opportunities for people across Barnsley, opportunities that will shape lives, strengthen our economy, and open the door to a more innovative and prosperous future.

Notes to Editors

Barnsley Tech Town supports Barnsley 2030: Barnsley Council’s long-term plan to build a prosperous, better, fairer and more inclusive town.  

As part of Barnsley’s ambition to become the UK’s leading digital town, work is already well underway delivering the Seam Digital Campus, part of the South Yorkshire Investment Zone, which is home to DMC: an innovation space for digital and creative scale-ups. This is where the forthcoming National Centre for Digital Technologies will be based.  

The £15 million Barnsley campus of the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology is also already up and running, offering a state-of-the-art learning environment that replicates industry conditions and uses the latest equipment.