Bill Hutchings
Managing Director – J.P. Morgan
AI & Economic Opportunity Fund
Supported by
The AI & Economic Opportunity Fund is a project between The Hg Foundation and JPMorganChase over 3 years to widen access to high-quality tech jobs and apprenticeships for low-income young adults without degrees in the UK. The Fund responds directly to the disruptive effect of AI on entry-level career pathways, at a moment when some traditional routes into tech are narrowing just as new AI-enabled opportunities emerge.
The Fund operates through three interconnected workstreams:
Programmes Fund
Awards grants totalling £2.25m over 2 years to a portfolio of delivery organisations supporting young adults into AI-relevant skills training and employment, with independent evaluation of outcomes.
We are currently accepting proposals from relevant programmes, aiming to support ~4 which reach in total ~900 low-income young adults without degrees over the next 2 years.
Intelligence Hub
The research and insight arm of the Fund tracks how the tech labour market is changing as AI reshapes jobs and skills, so the Fund stays tied to real hiring demand.
We will produce biannual publications to synthesise the findings from job postings analysis, roundtables and interviews with employers, and focus groups and surveys with young people.
Impact & Learning
Translates the Fund’s programmes and research evidence into actionable findings to influence policy and employer practice , engaging directly with processes shaping the skills and employment landscape in the UK.
We will support independent evaluation of the Fund’s programmes, share what we learn across our partners and the wider sector, and use the evidence generated to inform employers, policymakers and others working to improve routes into technology careers.
Employer Advisory Panel
The Fund is underpinned by an Employer Advisory Panel drawing on Hg’s portfolio of technology companies, The Hg Foundation ecosystem and JPMorganChase’s own networks, ensuring programme design and curricula stay grounded in genuine employer hiring needs.
Jason Richards
Head of Technology – Hg
Julia Adamson MBE
Executive Director: Education & Public Benefit – BCS
Kevin Smith
Chief Technology Officer – Lucanet
Michelle Hainsworth
Managing Director: Skills Creation – AMS
Narayana Vemuri
Managing Director, Commercial Lead - Microsoft Business Group
Tony Wittmann
Senior Director: Global Talent Acquisition, Integration & Change – The Access Group
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