41% of state school leavers excited about AI at work, study finds

Only 41% of state school leavers said they felt excited about the opportunities artificial intelligence (AI) offers at work, compared with 64% of privately educated peers, according to research from Grant Thornton UK. 

44% of state school leavers said they felt confident about their career prospects with AI, compared to 56% from private schools. 

When asked about readiness for jobs using AI day-to-day, 50% of state school leavers said they felt confident, compared with 57% of privately educated peers. 

Malcolm Gomersall, chief executive officer at Grant Thornton UK, said: “Excitement about AI shouldn’t depend on which school you went to, but right now the data is showing that it does. 

“If we only train the graduates who arrive already comfortable with these tools, we’re just augmenting the advantage some of them started with. 

“Employers have a bigger part to play here than most are currently taking.”

Abigail Fisher, chief people officer at Grant Thornton UK, said: “Confidence with AI is becoming a basic requirement for work, and right now it is being handed out unevenly before anyone even applies for a job. 

“We’ve put structured AI training in front of every partner and employee rather than leaving people to pick it up on their own, and we think that same approach needs to reach young people before they’re job hunting, not after.”