Starmer to unveil artificial intelligence plan to help jobseekers find work
Sir Keir Starmer is set to promise that no community will be “left behind in the technology revolution” as he unveils new AI tools aimed at helping jobseekers get employed.
Simultaneously, the Prime Minister will promise to ensure technology works “for everyone, not just for a privileged few” in a speech detailing the government’s plans to prepare the workforce for the changing employment market.
A new “AI assistant” announced on Monday will be trialled online for about three months. Designed to offer 24/7 guidance on career development and job applications, this program includes a “CV builder” feature. Officials hope this tool will serve as a “job center in your pocket” for job seekers.
Ahead of the speech, Sir Keir said: “No one doubts the huge potential of technology to change lives. But we must decide who this change is for.
“This Government’s choice is clear: the technology revolution must work for everyone, not just for a privileged few.
“We are supporting British businesses to lead the way by stimulating growth and investment that translates into more jobs and stronger communities.
“And we are using technology to bring opportunity to every corner of the country – helping people get into work, tackling inequalities, boosting skills and building a fairer future.”
The speech comes at the start of London Technology Week, which will bring together ministers and industry experts in the UK capital to discuss how technological changes will shape society.
Technology Minister Liz Kendall has announced a range of measures aimed at enabling young people to gain skills that will help them secure employment; Artificial intelligence and technology education will be given to approximately 400,000 people in the most disadvantaged schools.
An AI “bootcamp scheme” will be rolled out across the UK over the summer to provide those at risk of unemployment and missing out on education and training with the resources they may need to find work.
Meanwhile, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the state would “aggressively” take larger stakes in fast-growing UK firms, signaling a new wave of corporatism as the Government looks to retain emerging companies moving overseas.
“You will see us take more risks, raising the risk threshold in our desire to support British innovation as it scales. I want us to be aggressively ambitious,” he told the Sunday Times.
This approach is an effort to reverse the “brain drain” of successful UK businesses heading abroad; Cambridge-based computer chip designer Arm’s decision to list on the US Nasdaq exchange is the most obvious example.
Mr Kyle said: “We don’t have capital in the private markets, but we have the opportunity if the Government comes out of the shadows and into the light.”
