Cambridge Consultants supports UK’s first AI Masters programme

Breakthrough innovation specialist Cambridge Consultants today announced it is one of 11 companies committing its early support to the UK’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Masters programme. This forms part of a major government-industry package to drive up skills in the UK’s AI sector. Cambridge Consultants’ involvement reflects the company’s growing leadership in the AI field and its resolve to nurture the best young talent.

Universities across England, Scotland and Wales are making up to 200 new AI Masters places available, coupled with work-based placements, beginning in September 2019. The Masters programme offers a quick way to develop the skills of existing employees, returners to work, or individuals interested in converting their specialism in other disciplines to AI. In addition, the wider package will see 1,000 students given the opportunity to enhance their skills, with new PhDs at 16 dedicated UK Research and Innovation AI Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) and up to five AI research Fellowships, created in collaboration with The Alan Turing Institute.

Cambridge Consultants is one of the 11 companies confirmed to support the Masters programme, alongside companies such as DeepMind, QuantumBlack, Cisco and BAE Systems. Cambridge Consultants has been engaged with the UK government’s Office of AI since it was established, providing advice on the emerging AI skills requirement from industry and more generally to progress the development of the AI Masters programme. This collaboration is built on the company’s deep AI technical expertise and experience of running a large multidisciplinary intern and graduate recruitment scheme.

Cambridge Consultants is at the frontier of developments in AI, exploring the art of the possible and applying leading-edge AI technology in client projects. The company established its ‘Digital Greenhouse’ facility to discover, develop and test new machine learning approaches in a fast, secure environment. Inside the Digital Greenhouse, a team of data scientists and engineers are engaged in long-term machine learning programmes designed to unlock unprecedented performance across a huge range of applications.

Tim Ensor, Commercial Director of AI at Cambridge Consultants, said:
“As a leader in world-changing innovation, Cambridge Consultants is excited to support the UK’s new Industrial Masters Programme in Artificial Intelligence. The UK is home to some of the most advanced and exciting AI R&D on the planet, with commercial momentum for our technology and services growing across global markets.

“We are expanding our bursary and placement scheme to include the AI Masters Programme and look forward to welcoming the first students to join our team of over 850 of the brightest minds in engineering, science and design.”

Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
“The UK has long been a nation of innovators. This AI skills and talent investment will help nurture leading UK and international talent to ensure we retain our world-beating reputation in research and development.

“Artificial intelligence has great potential to drive up productivity and enhance every industry throughout our economy, from more effective disease diagnosis to building smart homes. Today’s announcement is our modern Industrial Strategy in action, investing in skills and talent to drive high skilled jobs, growth and productivity across the UK.”

Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright said:
“The UK is not only the birthplace to the father of artificial intelligence, Alan Turing, but we are leading the way on work to ensure AI innovation has ethics at its core.

“We want to keep up this momentum and cement our reputation as pioneers in AI.  Working with world class academic institutions and industry we will be able to train the next generation of top-tier AI talent and maintain the UK’s reputation as a trailblazer in emerging technologies.”