Barnsley has been named the UK’s first government-backed Tech Town, marking a flagship move in the government’s push to use AI to improve public services, boost productivity and widen access to digital skills.
The announcement, made on Tuesday by Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, commits central government to working closely with Barnsley over the next 18 months to embed AI across education, health, local government and business support.
Ministers say the Tech Town model is intended to act as a national blueprint, demonstrating how AI can be deployed at a local level to deliver tangible benefits for residents while helping communities that have historically missed out on previous waves of economic change.
Putting AI to work in public services
Under the plans, Barnsley will trial the use of AI in frontline services, including healthcare, education and social care. In partnership with Barnsley Hospital, the town will test AI tools designed to speed up patient check-ins, support triage and improve outpatient care, with the aim of reducing waiting times and freeing up clinical staff.
In schools and further education, AI and education technology tools will be piloted to better understand their impact on pupil outcomes, inclusion and teacher workload. Barnsley College will play a central role in these trials, helping to shape evidence on how AI can be used safely and effectively in learning environments.
The government says insights from these initiatives will inform wider national rollouts, ensuring lessons learned locally can be scaled across the UK.
Free training and support for local workers
A core pillar of the Tech Town initiative is skills. Residents will be offered free AI and digital training through partnerships with Barnsley College and the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology. Courses will range from introductory digital skills to more advanced training designed to help people retrain, progress or access new career opportunities.
The move aligns with the government’s wider commitment to upskill 10 million UK workers in AI and digital technologies, announced earlier this year.
Ministers argue that building local capability is essential if AI adoption is to deliver inclusive growth, rather than concentrating benefits in a small number of tech hubs.
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Support for business adoption of AI will be delivered through the expansion of The Seam Digital Campus, which currently hosts more than 30 digital firms. The campus is set to evolve into an AI-focused hub, anchored by a planned National Centre for Digital Technologies.
Small and growing businesses will receive hands-on support to experiment with AI tools, improve productivity and scale up, with the aim of creating high-quality local jobs and strengthening Barnsley’s digital economy.
Local partners, including the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, are expected to play a key role in connecting firms with training, investment and expertise.
‘A blueprint for the rest of the UK’
The initiative has attracted backing from major technology companies, with Microsoft, Cisco and Adobe all pledging support for skills development and access to AI tools.
Executives from Microsoft and Cisco joined Kendall on a visit to Barnsley to view the town’s digital ambitions, underscoring the government’s use of its convening power to draw in private sector partners.
Adobe said its involvement would focus on bringing AI-powered creative tools, education programmes and industry-aligned training to the town, helping to build a pipeline of future-ready talent.
Kendall said Barnsley’s ambition made it an ideal test case. “If we can show that AI helps young people learn, supports local businesses to be more productive, and improves public services, then we can show what’s possible for the whole country,” she said.
Barnsley Council leader Sir Stephen Houghton described the programme as one of the most significant investments in the town’s history, while South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard said the designation reflected the strength of the region’s growing digital ecosystem.
