Barnsley named as UK’s first Tech Town
The South Yorkshire town has been chosen by the government to act as a national blueprint for how other places might become hotspots for AI skills and digital technology, with Microsoft, Adobe, Google, and Cisco backing the scheme.
Barnsley has invested a lot into its technical offering in recent years, notably the SEAM Campus and the redevelopment of the former Barnsley Mining and Technical College into the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology.
This was completed by GF Tomlinson in November last year, supported by AECOM, with an additional £1.8m of funding subsequently secured for further upgrades to the institute.
Meanwhile, plans for the £12m redevelopment of the SEAM digital campus were presented to Barnsley’s cabinet in 2022, formerly submitted in January 2025, and since then Wilmott Dixon has been delivering the first phase, which includes a 50,000 sq ft urban park and a Yorkshire Roses landmark.
Subject to planning, phase two work will look to further develop the Upper Seam car park, develop a third digital media centre, attract a high-end hotel, and create a national centre for digital technologies.
What does it mean?
Barnsley’s Tech Town programme will offer free AI and digital training through the IoT college, helping residents upskill, retrain or learn new digital capabilities.
It will also support business growth and AI adoption by expanding the Seam Digital Campus, giving small firms hands-on support and developing it into an AI Campus centred on a new National Centre for Digital Technologies.
The town will pilot AI innovation in public services, including healthcare partnerships with Barnsley Hospital to improve check-ins, triage, and outpatient care, and testing AI and edtech tools in schools and colleges to enhance learning outcomes and reduce teacher workload.
Alongside this, Barnsley will build on its digital infrastructure, improving connectivity, public Wi-Fi, cybersecurity, and the use of technology in public buildings.
Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “I am delighted to have been invited by Barnsley, to work with them to achieve their ambition to become the UK’s leading tech town.
“If we are going to get AI to work for Britain, we need Britons and British public services that can work with AI.
“That is why Barnsley’s ambitions are crucial, because if we can show that AI helps young people learn, supports local businesses to be more productive, and improves public services, then we can show what’s possible for the whole country.
“What we learn here will shape how we roll out AI across the UK – making sure every community sees the benefits.
Barnsley Council Leader Stephen Houghton said: “One of the key missions in our Inclusive Economic Growth Strategy is for Barnsley to become the UK’s leading digital town…
“This is one of the most important investments in Barnsley in our history and will help secure our long-term economic future.
The Tech Town programme is where cutting-edge technology meets everyday usefulness. It will complement our existing plans at The Seam Digital Campus, including the National Centre for Digital Technologies, and the Health on the High Street programme, which is revolutionising how residents can access health and wellbeing services in Barnsley.”
South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “Thanks in no small part to work being led by Steve Houghton and Barnsley Council, we’re building a bigger, better economy in South Yorkshire, creating jobs and opportunities in the industries that will define the next generation and beyond.
“That’s why the government have recognised Barnsley as the UK’s first Tech Town. Because we have already built a thriving digital ecosystem, from The Seam Digital Campus and the growing cluster of digital and creative businesses, to the cutting edge training at Barnsley College and the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology.
“Barnsley has all the foundations of a modern, thriving tech economy.”
