Salesforce offers free Slack Enterprise to UK students

Salesforce will provide free Slack Enterprise access to millions of university and college students in the UK through a programme aimed at higher and further education institutions.

The move gives participating institutions access to Slack for students as pressure grows on universities and colleges to prepare people for workplaces shaped by artificial intelligence. It forms part of Salesforce's USD $6 billion commitment to the UK business through 2030.

Slack is widely used in business as a workplace messaging and collaboration tool, and the initiative is intended to give students experience with the same platform used by large employers. Salesforce says 77 of the Fortune 100 use Slack, while more than 200,000 organisations use the service globally.

The announcement comes amid concern over digital skills in the UK labour market. Salesforce cited research showing that 61% of workers in the country receive no AI training, while government figures show about 1 million young people are not in education, employment or training.

Participating colleges and universities are expected to use Slack for teaching and campus collaboration, including links between tutors and peers, student communities, and administrative services. Institutions will also be able to introduce AI tools into Slack channels for tasks such as handling student services questions, coordinating study groups, and assisting research teams.

Each institution will keep administrative control over how the tools are used, with universities and colleges able to set permissions and controls. Student data will remain under UK data protections and will not be used to train external AI models.

Skills push

The initiative adds to Salesforce's broader push on AI training and workforce development in the UK. Earlier this year, it opened an expanded London AI campus and said its employee-led Future Trailblazers programme has trained 14,500 students across the UK and Ireland since launch.

That work aligns with a wider national effort to build digital and AI skills as employers adapt to new tools and workflows. For universities and colleges, the challenge is not only teaching theory but also giving students practical familiarity with the software and systems used in offices and public services.

Zahra Bahrololoumi CBE, President & CEO, Salesforce UK & Ireland, said: "Young people will define the next decade of UK business, and it's imperative that students across all disciplines are able to learn to use AI responsibly. By bringing Slack and AI-powered tools like Slackbot directly into further and higher education, we are giving young people hands-on experience with the exact technology and operating system used by organisations across the UK. Ultimately, this creates a stronger talent pipeline for UK employers and ensures that the benefits of technology can be felt across every postcode."

Campus use

For education providers, the appeal is likely to depend on whether Slack can move beyond messaging to become a central channel for student support and academic coordination. Slackbot, included with Slack Enterprise, can provide answers in plain language using workspace files and discussions that users can access.

That could allow institutions to set up internal systems for routine queries and information sharing without relying on external public AI tools. Salesforce also presented the programme as a way for students to learn the limits of AI outputs in a governed environment, rather than simply use consumer applications without oversight.

The UK higher and further education sectors are under growing pressure to respond to rapid changes in generative AI, both in teaching and in graduate employability. Employers have increasingly called for recruits who are comfortable working with AI-assisted tools, while educators have had to balance experimentation with concerns over data use, accuracy, and academic standards.

By offering Slack Enterprise free of charge, Salesforce removes a cost barrier for institutions that may want to test new collaboration models but face tight budgets. The move also places the company more directly inside the education pipeline at a time when technology groups are seeking to shape how future workers learn to use AI at scale.

Participating institutions will be able to use the platform as a single place for students to learn, connect, and build AI skills in day-to-day conversations while maintaining local control over permissions and safeguards.