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Posted: Tue 16th Jun 2026
10 min read
Something significant happened at London Tech Week this year, and Enterprise Nation was right in the middle of it.
On 8 June, Secretary of State Liz Kendall stood at the AI Adoption Summit and set out the government's ambition plainly: make Britain the fastest AI-adopting country in the G7, and make sure the benefits reach everyone, not just the powerful few.
She said:
"AI is the defining technology of our lifetime. Change is inevitable, but the consequences of change are not."
As part of that week, Enterprise Nation was named as one of eight new strategic partners joining AI Skills Boost, the government's national AI upskilling programme. We join names including ICAEW, Make UK, Adobe and Pearson. And we're proud to be in that company.
AI Skills Boost is a government and industry initiative to help 10 million UK workers build practical AI skills by 2030, a third of the workforce. That target was increased from 7.5 million at this year's London Tech Week, reflecting the pace of ambition.
The training is free, non-technical, and built for everyday work, not for developers or data scientists. Think drafting emails, summarising meeting notes, proofreading documents, and automating routine tasks.
Courses take as little as 20 minutes, fit around busy schedules, and require no prior experience. Complete a course covering all six core skill areas, and founders earn an AI Skills Boost Foundation Badge they can add to their email signature or LinkedIn profile.
As of April 2026, 1.7 million courses have already been completed.
At London Tech Week, the government committed over £6 billion of new investment and put in place a package that directly affects small business owners and founders.
Here’s a summary:
AI Skills Boost expansion – free training for 10 million workers: At least 2 million of the 10 million target are in small and medium-sized businesses. The training is now available and free. Sign up at the AI Skills Hub
£200m+ AI adoption package: Includes an expanded Bridge AI scheme (now £100m) matching British businesses with British AI solutions, plus skills support and practical help on how to implement it. Read the announcement
New AI Sandboxes: So businesses can safely test AI products without regulatory uncertainty. Part of the new Regulating for Growth Bill — significant for any small business wanting to experiment with AI tools.
Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO): A new office to speed up British innovation and clear the regulatory barriers that have slowed AI adoption. More breathing room for smaller firms trying to get started.
£500m Sovereign AI fund: Backing homegrown AI founders with investment, visas, supercomputer access and R&D support — to help promising British AI companies start here and scale globally. Read more
GOV.UK Chat: A new AI tool on the GOV.UK app that answers questions in plain language — cutting through 80,000 government web pages to get small business owners to the support they need, fast.
Being a named strategic partner gives Enterprise Nation a formal seat at the table as the UK's AI skills and adoption agenda is designed, including working groups on SME training, incentives, badging and evaluation.
We feed real data from our community of 180,000 small business owners directly into those conversations. When DSIT asks what small businesses actually need, we're the ones in the room answering. We will also share our programmes in relation to AI as support for more small business owners.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation &Technology (DSIT) Kanishka Narayan, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Enterprise Nation as a strategic partner to AI Skills Boost, our national initiative to upskill 10 million workers in essential AI skills by 2030. Through this programme, we are helping people across the UK to use AI safely and confidently, supporting long-term economic growth and innovation.
“The industry partnership provides a unique and valuable way to equip workers to be ready for the age of AI.
“I am delighted that through this we have already delivered over 1.7 million courses, a milestone that reflects both the scale of our ambition and the impact the partnership is already achieving together.
“As we expand the programme, I am very pleased to welcome Enterprise Nation on board and recognise the valuable expertise you bring in to help strengthen the programme’s offer for small businesses seeking to expand their digital capabilities.
“Through this initiative, we will support workers to thrive in an AI-enabled economy and ensure UK businesses – large and small – capture the productivity and growth potential that AI offers them. Thank you for your commitment, and I look forward to working closely together on this important initiative.”
The government has committed to making AI work for all. Enterprise Nation’s job is to make sure "all" genuinely includes the sole trader in Wales, the tech founder in Barnsley, and the micro-business owner who hasn't had time to experiment yet, not just the scale-ups and tech firms.
Read the full AI adoption report
Learn more about how small businesses across the UK are getting to grips with AI technology, in this new research from Enterprise Nation. View the report
Our Tech Hub research — a nationally representative survey of 1,320 UK small businesses published in June 2026 — shows exactly why this matters.
Only 21% of small businesses use AI regularly. Just 6% have embedded it into daily work. Among one-person businesses, only 34% use AI at all, compared with 68% of firms with 50 to 249 employees. The smallest firms are furthest behind, and early adopters are pulling further ahead every month.
The barriers are practical, not a lack of ambition. Cost (53%), skills (46%), time (37%) and trust, particularly for the very smallest firms, are what's holding people back. And crucially, only 22% of small business owners would turn to the government for tech advice. Most go to their accountant first.
That last figure is the point. Official programmes don't always reach founders through official channels, which is exactly why our role as a strategic partner matters. We bring AI Skills Boost to small business owners through a community they already use and trust.
Enterprise Nation member Kirsty Lockwood runs a specialist upholstery microbusiness in Mid Wales.
"I have to be everything for the business," she said.
AI became the expert she couldn't afford to hire. It helped her choose a business structure, write governance documents, and develop a £30,000 National Lottery grant application. The technology bridged knowledge gaps that had held her back for years.
That's what this programme is for.
The training is free. No technical background needed. Start with one short course and build from there.
And if you want a broader picture of where your business stands on digital and AI, tools, gaps, and a personalised action plan, our own Tech Hub is built for exactly that.
AI can feel like a buzzword. AI Skills Boost makes it practical. And with Enterprise Nation as a strategic partner, the small business community has a stronger voice than ever in shaping what comes next.
We give small businesses a voice – in the media and in Westminster. See our latest press releases, policy insights and how we're championing small firms. Visit the media and policy centre
