Milton Keynes College awarded £3.5m for hi-tech skills centre

Milton Keynes College has won a £3.5 million bid for government funding to set up a new artificial intelligence skills centre.

The money will pay for the centre to be built at the Chaffron Way campus.

Once built, this hi-tech skills centre will be used as a hub for companies and educators to use digital skills and artificial intelligence concepts.

If successful, similar hubs could be set up throughout the country, Milton Keynes College says.

Dr Julie Mills OBE, CEO and group principal of MK College Group says: “The success of this bid means we can set up a new service which will be employer-driven to help make sure learners are being taught the digital skills local business really needs.

"Being asked to pilot what could become a really significant national scheme shows that the Department for Education has real confidence in the Milton Keynes College Group. Levelling-up is a central pillar of government policy which aligns perfectly with the group strategy to provide fairer futures for all. The Skills Match which this funding will support will allow companies to tell us directly what their needs are and for us to use that knowledge to shape the digital curriculum.”

The centre will be operated in partnership with the South Central Institute for Technology (SCIoT), MK Chamber, the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) and MK Council, along with the city-wide artificial intelligence group, MKAI.