Palantir plots NHS skills drive for its controversial data platform (www.theregister.com)

Palantir has teamed up with UK-based upskilling provider Multiverse to run an apprenticeship program for the NHS’s Federated Data Platform (FDP), launching in February 2026. The curriculum will be tailored to analysts, administrators, managers and clinical staff, with the goal of increasing staff proficiency in the FDP to support operations, improve care, reduce paperwork and lower waiting lists. Palantir’s UK/EU EVP Louis Mosley framed the initiative as necessary to “drive up the number of NHS staff who are trained on the technology,” signalling a push to boost uptake of the platform across trusts. The move comes amid persistent controversy: Palantir’s £330m FDP contract has been criticised over political links (including early meetings between UK officials and Peter Thiel) and pandemic-era awards made with limited competition. Adoption is uneven—Corporate Watch found only 34 trusts (~15%) actively using the platform and Greater Manchester’s ICB has paused adoption pending stronger evidence. Critics also point to technical concerns (write-back to ageing systems can blunt benefits; some hospitals fear losing functionality) and governance questions tied to Palantir’s origins. The government’s full business case projects c.£780m benefit over seven years (including up to £60m/year cash-releasing within five years), but uptake, interoperability and trust will determine whether the apprenticeship materially changes the FDP’s trajectory.