With the hype around AI dying down, it’s time to get to business. Get ready for upskilling your team for AI in the language services industry, and taking your business to the next level.

The ATC is partnering with Magic Beans Agency to deliver comprehensive AI training to language service companies, empowering them to enhance operational efficiency, improve service provision, delivery and quality, and unlock new revenue streams.

The training will be delivered during the course of September 2024 – February 2025 and it is open to ATC member companies and non-member companies across the UK and globally.

The AI Upskilling Training for Language Services comprises an online training course along with optional, additional in-company training tailored to your business’s needs.

UK-based SME language service companies are eligible to apply for 50% Government funding on the training costs from the Flexible AI Upskilling Fund Pilot. The application window is open until 18 August 2024 (NEW DATE), with funding decisions being made in September 2024.

Read more about the content and costs of the training, and how to apply for the UK Government funding below.

About the AI upskilling training

The AI Upskilling Training for Language Services is a comprehensive training programme based on the needs of SME language service companies. Its objective is to upskill language service companies’ workforce with the essential knowledge and skills to leverage Artificial Intelligence in meeting the evolving needs of their clients in a tech-enabled world.

As language service companies adapt to the ever-changing, increasingly digital business landscape, acquiring a thorough understanding of AI and its applications becomes crucial for driving innovation and maintaining competitiveness. The language services industry, by its very nature, underpins the exporting and internationalisation success of businesses in all other sectors – and for that reason it is critical to ensure that language service companies and their workforce are equipped with the right AI skills for business and for the delivery of language services in the AI era.

The AI Upskilling Training for Language Services comprises

an online instructor-led training course focusing on AI skills and technologies in the business of language services and in the development of language technologies; and
further additional, optional bespoke training for individual language service companies, tailored through a training needs analysis to the level of AI adoption in the company, existing staff skill levels, types of language services provided by the company, and the company’s strategic direction in terms of adopting AI-enabled technologies and services.

The online training is delivered in 10 sessions over the course of 10 weeks in the autumn of 2024. All modules and sessions can be attended by any and all staff members at the participating companies, depending on their AI skills profile and the company’s needs. The training does not have a set formal qualification level as per UK Qualification Levels.

Online training topics include:

Core AI concepts and AI in the language services industry
Identifying opportunities and implementing new AI-enabled services
AI in language services marketing and business development
Language services and AI (incl. Machine Translation and Quality Management)
AI in operations and project management
Positioning your company in the AI era

Optional bespoke in-company training

Additional, targeted in-company training tailored through a training needs analysis to the level of AI adoption in the company, existing staff skill levels, types of language services provided by the company, and the company’s strategic direction in terms of adopting AI-enabled technologies and services

The training includes core AI skills relating to the delivery of language services through technologies including the following:

Artificial Intelligence
Natural Language Processing
Neural Networks
Chatbot
Generative Models
AI Governance
AI Risk
AI Safety
AI Ethics

Training outcomes

The AI Upskilling Training for Language Services training equips employees at language service companies the essential knowledge and skills to leverage AI solutions within their company, and in the delivery of modern language services that meets the evolving needs of their clients in a global, tech-enabled world.

Training costs

The AI Upskilling Training for Language Services training is open to SME language service companies in the UK and globally. The training is open to any and all employees of the participating company, based on their AI skills profile and the company’s needs.

Online training

Business size	ATC member	Non-member
1-2 employees	£450 + VAT	£540 + VAT
3-10 employees	£1,200 + VAT	£1,440 + VAT
10-50 employees	£2,500 + VAT	£3,000 + VAT
50-100 employees	£4,000 + VAT	£4,800 + VAT
100-250 employees	£5,000 + VAT	£6,000 + VAT

Additional bespoke in-company training

Additional, bespoke in-company training can be flexibly added to your training package, for as many training days as your company requires.

Business size	Day fee
1-2 employees	£800 + VAT
3-10 employees	£800 + VAT
10-50 employees	£1,000 + VAT
50-100 employees	£1,000 + VAT
100-250 employees	£1,000 + VAT

Key training concepts

The training supports language service companies to identify and deploy the AI skills needed within the business, using The Alan Turing Institute’s AI Skills for Business Competency Framework’s personas:

AI Citizens: members of the public who may be customers to organisations making use of artificial intelligence.
AI Workers: employees not working primarily in ‘data’ or ‘AI’, but whose roles may be impacted by these technologies.
AI Professionals: employees whose core responsibilities concern the use of ‘data’ and ‘AI’. These include data analysts, Machine Learning engineers, and data ethicists.
AI Leaders: those holding senior responsibility for the procurement and/or governance of artificial intelligence solutions.

The training further incorporates the five dimensions of competencies and behaviours within the Business Competency Framework:

Dimension A: Privacy and Stewardship. This area concerns the security and protection of data, including the design, creation, storage, distribution and associated risks.
Dimension B: Specification, acquisition, engineering, architecture, storage and curation. This area concerns the collection, secure storage, manipulation, and curation of data. Competencies in this area also relate to the application of data management and analytical techniques. For example, this includes competencies around handling situations arising from the (mis)use of sensitive data.
Dimension C: Problem definition and communication. This area concerns the ability to identify and clearly define a problem, to understand the role artificial intelligence can play in potential solutions, and to be able to communicate this knowledge effectively to a variety of audiences.
Dimension D: Problem solving, analysis, modelling, visualisation. This area concerns the knowledge of and ability to apply a range of mathematical, statistical and computing tools and methods to define and analyse a problem and present solutions.
Dimension E: Evaluation and Reflection. It is important that all professionals working within the field of data science and artificial intelligence have a clear understanding of the ethics that underpin their work, and take responsibility for the assurance of the models they build.

About the training provider

The AI Upskilling Training for Language Services training has been created by the leading language services trade association in the UK, the Association of Translation Companies, in collaboration with strategic solutions and training provider Magic Beans Agency, based on a needs analysis of the language services landscape and feedback from language service companies.

Magic Beans Agency works with SME language service companies providing strategic consulting and insights to leaders and managers, implementing vital initiatives in tech, quality and talent, providing complete revenue growth and transformation solutions, and delivering critical training to LSC teams and stakeholders.

AI Upskilling Training for Language Services is delivered by Magic Beans Sales & Marketing Limited (company registered in the UK with company number 10263283), registered on the UK Register of Learning Providers (reg. number 10095510).

About the UK Government funding

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has launched a £7.4 million pilot scheme to subsidise the cost of AI skills training for SMEs in the Professional Business Services sector with £6.4 million of grant funding available.

Eligible businesses, including SME language service companies, can apply for funding for up to 50% of the cost of AI skills training to support employees to develop their technical skills and/or understanding of AI to be able to develop, deploy, or use AI in their role.

The Flexible AI Upskilling Fund Pilot funding is not guaranteed, and may be either carried out as a randomised trial, or otherwise granted through a lottery.

The maximum amount of funding depends on the size of the business:

Business size	Headcount	Turnover	Balance sheet total	Maximum grant funding available (per applicant)
Micro	Under 10	Under €2 million	Under €2 million	£2,500
Small	Under 50	Under €10 million	Under €10 million	£5,000
Medium	Under 250	Under €50 million	Under €43 million	£10,000

To be eligible to apply, a business must meet all of the following criteria:

be registered and operate in the UK
be in existence for at least one year
employ between 1-249 employees in the UK
be defined as an SME per the BEIS SME action plan: 2022 to 2025
have been operating for at least 1 year at the time of application

Eligible businesses must also operate in the Professional and Business Services sector as defined by relevant Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. Where a business has multiple SIC codes, they are eligible as long as at least one of the SIC codes is included in the table below.

SIC	Division and Description
M – Professional, scientific and technical activities	69 – Legal activities/accounting, bookkeeping and audit
	70 – Activities of head offices, management consultancy
	71 – Architectural and engineering activities, technical testing and analysis
	72 – Scientific research and development
	73 – Advertising and market research
	74 – Other professional, scientific and technical activities
N – Administrative and support service activities	77 – Rental and leasing activities
	78 – Employment activities
	82 – Office administration and other business support activities

Language service companies typically operate within the SIC code M (Professional, scientific and technical activities) – 74 (Other professional, scientific and technical activities) – 74300 (Translation and interpretation activities).

You can check your company’s SIC code(s), for example, in the Companies House’s Find an update company information service.

Through this pilot programme, eligible businesses can apply for funding for up to 50% of the cost of AI skills training and other AI upskilling activities. This refers to training which supports employees to develop their technical skills and/or understanding of AI to be able to develop, deploy, or use AI in their role.

Funding applications should be submitted via Apply for a grant by 18 August 2024, and result letters are expected to be provided in September 2024.

What next?

If you’re serious about upskilling your company and your workforce, future-proof your business and your services for the AI era, the AI Upskilling Training for Language Services training is a smart move.

If you are looking to apply for UK Government funding, you must submit your application to the Flexible AI Upskilling Fund Pilot by 18 August 2024. Get in touch with Robert Martin from Magic Beans Agency if you require any further information about the training or costs for the application: robert@magicbeansagency.com / tel. 020 4602 7492.

NB. Funding through the Flexible AI Upskilling Fund Pilot is not guaranteed, and the pilot may be carried out as a randomised trial, or the funding otherwise granted through a lottery. You do not have to commit to the online training or bespoke in-company training until you know whether your company has secured the funding.

The AI Upskilling Training for Language Services training opens in the summer of 2024 for registration to the online training, delivered between September–December 2024.

Additional bespoke in-company training days can be agreed on flexibly with the Magic Beans Agency.