Earlier today, the British Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, presented the Autumn Budget which detailed some of the financial decisions the Government would pursue. In it, he touched on technology saying that he wanted to secure the country’s position as a world leader in the field - the Budget set aside money for artificial intelligence and the development of 5G networks.
The main items to take away from the Budget include a £75 million pot of money for the development of artificial intelligence, regulatory changes for on-road driverless car testing, £400 million to build more electric car charging points, £100 million to boost electric car purchases, £160 million to aid in the building up of the upcoming 5G mobile networks, a further £100 million for an additional 8,000 fully qualified computer science teachers supported by a new National Centre for Computing, there was £76 million to boost digital and construction skills, and a new retraining partnership with the TUC and the CBI to boost digital skills in the workforce.
Gavin Patterson, the chief executive at BT, said:
“We’re delighted to see the emphasis on digital skills in the Budget and welcome the chancellor’s commitment to ensuring that young people receive the investment needed to thrive in the jobs of the future. As a country, we need to build on our strengths as a tech leader and ensure that we don’t just cope with the challenges ahead but that we inspire, lead and share the future.”
It’s interesting to see that Hammond included additional funding for qualified computer science teachers, a report from the Royal Society published in the last few weeks stated that the Government needed to spend more money over the next five years in the field of computer science. Not only does it seem to have spurred on the Government, but Google also pledged £1 million too.
Source: BBC News | Image via The Next Women
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