18 universities across the UK have won an Office for Students (OfS) competition to receive funding to develop postgraduate conversion courses in AI and data science.
The government announced in 2019 that it would support the development of degree conversion courses to help address the shortage of AI and data specialists in the UK.
In January 2020, the Office for Students (OfS) launched a competition inviting HE providers to develop and implement the postgraduate schemes, which it hopes will attract as many as 2,500 graduates by 2023.
The successful providers will now share over £3 million from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Office for Artificial Intelligence (OAI) as well as £10 million worth of funding for scholarships to support students from underrepresented groups – particularly female students, black students and students with disabilities.
The aim of the new conversion courses is to respond to the shortage of data science and AI specialists in the UK and boost the number of graduates entering these fields over the next three years.
The government’s Digital Strategy predicts that 90% of all jobs will require some element of digital skills within 20 years.
It is clear that these skills are of fundamental importance now more than ever before
The full list of higher education providers to receive funding to develop postgraduate conversion courses in data science and artificial intelligence is as follows:
Birmingham City University
Brunel University London
Coventry University
Loughborough University
Nottingham Trent University
Sheffield Hallam University
Solent University
Teesside University
University of Birmingham
University of Bradford
University of Essex
University of Hull
University of Keele
University of Liverpool
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
University of Suffolk
University of Sussex
University of Wolverhampton
Loughborough University’s pro vice-chancellor for teaching, Professor Rachel Thomson said: “It is clear that these skills are of fundamental importance now more than ever before, and will continue to be in the future.
“We are excited to build on the opportunities and communities around both our Loughborough and London campuses to offer this flexible degree programme, providing greater reach and accessibility to students so we can deliver graduates to businesses in need.
“We have designed the programme content in consultation with industry and business stakeholders, and also involved our undergraduate student body in co-creating its content.
“We are committed to creating an inclusive atmosphere in which all students – from diverse backgrounds and with different skillsets – are encouraged to reach their maximum potential and succeed in their future careers.”
You might also like: Imperial launches innovation fund to back in-house start-ups
