British Deputy High Commissioner Andrew Fleming called for India and the UK to build an AI education and skills ecosystem that goes beyond student exchanges, according to an account of the O-LEAD 2026 event published on 11 October 2026. The reported proposal includes joint research, shared curriculum design, teacher development, university–industry partnerships and cooperation on responsible AI—not a confirmed funding or delivery agreement.
What Fleming proposed beyond student exchanges
At O-LEAD 2026, a two-day event organized by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) under the theme “Odisha: The Global Growth Hub,” Fleming reportedly argued for sustained cooperation between institutions, not just opportunities for students to study abroad. The event account is not an official transcript, so his remarks and quotations are attributed to that report.
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The proposed ecosystem would connect universities, technical institutions and technology companies through several kinds of work:
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- Curriculum design: partners could develop courses together so education responds to how AI is used and applied.
- Teacher development: educators would need support to teach AI-related knowledge and skills.
- Industry participation: companies could help connect learning with workplace needs and institutional planning.
- Responsible AI governance: partners could share approaches to deploying AI in ways that account for trust and public impact.
Fleming’s reported case was that India’s talent and experience building digital systems at scale could complement UK strengths in higher education, research and AI innovation. This is his rationale for collaboration, not an independently measured comparison of the two countries.
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Why the proposal is broader than specialist AI training
The report attributes three education shifts to Fleming: moving from memorization toward application and problem solving, making AI literacy broadly available rather than limiting training to future specialists, and extending learning through reskilling and upskilling throughout working life. That approach treats AI as a subject workers and citizens may need to understand, while still recognizing the value of specialist technologists. As Fleming put it in a quotation carried by the event report, “The future is not simply about producing more technologists, valuable though they will be.”
The need for ongoing skills development is also reflected in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025. The WEF says employers expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030, down from 44% in 2023. This is a global employer-survey expectation, not a guaranteed outcome or a forecast specific to India or the UK.
Inclusion is part of the reported argument
Fleming reportedly said inclusion should be considered from the start, rather than added after AI education and systems are designed. The event account identifies practical questions raised in his remarks:
- Whose data is represented in AI systems?
- Which languages can people use with those systems and learning materials?
- Can learners afford access to devices, connectivity and training?
- Can people participate confidently in AI-enabled learning and work?
These questions connect the skills agenda to access and design: expanding AI literacy alone does not ensure that learners can use the tools or that the systems reflect their languages and experiences.
What India and the UK have already put in their bilateral framework
Fleming’s reported recommendations sit alongside, but should not be confused with, existing government commitments. The India–UK Vision 2035 sets out cooperation on a joint centre intended to promote trusted, real-world AI innovation and wider adoption. Its education provisions include transnational education partnerships, joint and dual-degree courses, investment in future skills, and continued work on mutual recognition of qualifications. These are framework commitments, not proof that every activity Fleming called for at O-LEAD has been agreed or funded.
In a Joint Statement dated 9 October 2025, the two governments welcomed the establishment of the India–UK Joint Centre for AI, advancing responsible and trustworthy AI in health, climate, fintech and engineering biology. The statement also records a commitment to the first Annual Ministerial Strategic Education Dialogue. Those government-level steps provide a bilateral policy context for the wider education and skills cooperation described at O-LEAD.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What a skills ecosystem would mean in practice
Student mobility gives learners a chance to study in another country. The ecosystem Fleming reportedly called for would add continuing links among institutions and employers, so collaboration could also shape research, courses, teaching capacity and workforce learning. The event report does not specify a launch schedule, budget, participating institutions or a delivery plan for the proposed activities.
At the same event, Odisha Skill Development and Technical Education Department commissioner-cum-secretary Bhupendra Singh Poonia was quoted as saying, “Industry must take the lead in skill development and institutional management.” That quotation, too, comes from the event report rather than a located transcript. It underscores the report’s emphasis on an industry role alongside government and educational institutions.
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