Won competitively through the Barnsley AI Upskilling Fund, a national government pilot delivered with Barnsley Council. A year of challenge-led programmes for the people standard provision doesn't reach.
Build Barnsley flips the training model. Instead of teaching AI in the abstract, each programme sets a real local challenge and gives participants six weeks, the tools, and the support to build an answer, finishing on a stage in front of their community.
Two intensive weekends where around 25 people at a time go from idea to working build in a single arc.
Delivered with Barnsley YMCA: an in-person kick-off, four weeks of virtual build sessions and mentoring, then a showcase.
Twenty-five Barnsley women building against a challenge set with a community sponsor: solutions for new mums returning to work.
provided at the women's programme kick-off, so childcare doesn't decide who's in the room.
laptop loans for participants without their own equipment.
AI tool credits included, so nobody builds on a free tier while learning.
monitoring and evaluation designed in from day one, with baseline and exit measurement across every programme.
Build Barnsley was a competitive national fund bid, written, won and delivered by Fossu. If your authority is weighing an AI skills intervention, we speak fluent commissioner.