The Office for Students (OfS) has confirmed a further £8.1
million will be made available for postgraduate conversion course
scholarships in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to
increase the diversity of students entering these careers.
Since April 2020, the OfS has allocated £18.1 million to
universities to deliver 1,818 postgraduate conversion course
scholarships in AI and data science. The £8.1 million funding
confirmed today will help up to 818 more students access a
scholarship on an AI or data science conversion course.
In March 2023 the OfS announced that 31 universities and
colleges, including seven as part of a collaborative project,
would receive a share of £8.1 million to deliver scholarships in
the 2023-24 academic year. The scholarships aim to increase
diversity and address digital skills gap in the workforce. The
programme funds scholarships designed to encourage more women,
black students, disabled students and students from lower
socioeconomic backgrounds to study AI and data science, as these
groups are underrepresented in jobs that require these
qualifications.
Today’s confirmation of funding will ensure that universities
involved in the scholarship programme will be able to continue to
support students from diverse backgrounds to upskill and progress
into careers in the AI and data science.
The OfS commissioned the Careers Research and Advisory Centre
(CRAC) to evaluate the scholarship funding and today the first
interim evaluation report is published, which has helped to
inform government funding decisions. The evaluation report’s
findings include:
- Universities are making progress to increase the diversity of
those graduating from these courses and are on track to deliver
807 government-funded scholarships across the programme in
2023-24.
- The programme has the potential to contribute towards the aim
of increasing the supply of digitally skilled workers through
conversion courses. 57 courses are currently available in the
programme, including nine newly developed courses, with a variety
of modes and delivery models.
- £6.7 million has been invested by organisations to support
the programme’s work. While the amount of financial co-investment
for industry funded scholarships has been less than anticipated,
industry partners have provided £6.3 million of in-kind support,
including advice, work placements, student mentoring and
co-supervising dissertation projects.
Director for Fair Access and Participation at the OfS, John
Blake, said:
‘Al and data science courses offer students the chance to take
part in emerging areas of the economy, building on core skills
including maths in innovative ways.
‘This funding will continue to support this growing sector and
give skilled graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance
to develop skills in the industry.
‘Today's evaluation shows promising signs that the scholarship
programme will lead to increased opportunities for disadvantaged
students to access and succeed on these courses. We've also seen
significant investment from employers alongside our own, and
collaboration between universities and industry to support
students on these courses and we encourage other employers to get
involved to help train the future digital workforce.
‘However, the evaluation also flags potential issues, including
the recruitment of sufficient UK students from diverse
backgrounds. Universities should explore where further efforts
may be needed to ensure enough students from these target groups
are able to access and succeed in these courses to support the
future economy.’
Minister for AI, , said:
‘The UK already has an exceptional AI talent pool to call on, but
an extra £8 million boost will encourage more people to pursue
careers in this transformative technology.
‘Given the rapid pace of development in AI, we need to make sure
people across the country, whatever their background, have the
skills they need to join the sector. Initiatives like this will
create more opportunities for jobs, growth and will supercharge
the economy.
‘A diverse workforce is key to enabling us to tap into the
enormous range of benefits AI can bring, whether in healthcare or
beyond. The next wave of brilliant British talent will ensure we
can realise that potential.’
