Employers

As we learned, successful AI implementation doesn't start with models—it starts with data. For any organisation aiming to harness the full power of AI, establishing the right data foundations and culture is paramount. AI is only as intelligent as the data it is trained on.

Here are three core pillars for building a robust data foundation and culture ready for the AI transformation:

The agility vs. scalability challenge

One of the biggest data challenges in an AI transformation is finding the right balance between agility and scalability. Since AI is a rapidly evolving technology, moving fast often means experimenting quickly, even if initial methods aren't scalable.

• Embrace agility for experimentation: A successful AI strategy involves enabling experimentation and allowing teams to try new things without immediately requiring a massive, fully developed data pipeline. This might mean starting with simpler, non-scalable methods to quickly prove a concept.
• Scale for sustainability: Once a concept is proven, the key is to transition to scalable solutions. An effective strategy involves doing both—experimenting quickly and building scalable structures—by knowing when to do one and when to do the other.

Building a data-first culture

Formal training is essential for building data literacy. However, training alone is not enough; success hinges on integrating data into the very DNA of the organisation.

• Consistency is key: A strong data culture means data is part of the day-to-day language and ways of working. Key metrics and definitions must be clear and consistently used across all settings, including meetings and documents.
• Empowering the whole organisation: Effective AI implementation requires giving data access to everyone, not just data scientists, and teaching them how to use it. Upskilling the entire organisation ensures the best possible use is made of the data.
• The consumption shift: As companies embrace AI, the way people and machines consume data changes. While dashboards were once common, organisations now increasingly need data formats that machines can easily read, such as APIs. Consistency in definitions is critical for trusting AI to correctly interpret the data and provide answers in natural language.
• Security and Compliance: The foundation of a trustworthy data strategy is ensuring that data is handled securely and responsibly. We demonstrate this commitment to our clients and apprentices, ensuring their sensitive information is handled with the highest level of care. Multiverse has achieved SOC 2 Type 1 certification, a result of third-party audit from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, confirming our internal controls exceed the necessary, rigorous standards.

Data as your competitive advantage

The most advanced AI applications are widely available to virtually everyone. What truly differentiates a company and drives value is its proprietary data, and what they build with it.

• Unlock internal value: Well-structured, proprietary data can unlock powerful AI solutions. For example, taking unstructured data, structuring it into a knowledge graph, and sharing it can provide valuable insights for customers.
• Move ahead of the pack: If a company wants to build something truly differentiated and make a real difference, it must connect AI to its unique internal data. The sooner an organisation commits to structuring and leveraging its data, the sooner it will gain a competitive edge.

By focusing on structuring data, fostering a company-wide data culture, and strategically balancing speed and sustainability, any organisation can build the solid foundations necessary to deliver powerful and effective AI transformation.

As other People leaders scramble to compete for a scarce pool of highly skilled external AI talent, we have fundamentally shifted our approach to talent development to focus on building our own AI-ready workforce internally.

The shift: Hiring for AI will, not just skill

We recently launched a new hiring framework that focuses on assessing a candidate’s interest in AI. Why? Because we don't want to miss out on brilliant talent just because they haven't had the opportunity to engage with AI tools in their previous roles.

Our framework assesses candidates’ current level of AI competence through a series of questions and tasks built into our hiring process, matching them to one of four levels of AI maturity. The only group we exclude from hiring are those who demonstrate no will towards learning about AI. Everyone else, we’re confident we can equip with the necessary skills to fully adopt AI.

Bespoke onboarding: Building AI skills

This commitment to developing talent continues the moment a new hire joins. We have committed to our employees that they will become the most AI-powered versions of their profession.

Based on their assessed AI maturity, new hires are placed into a custom onboarding programme, receiving more than 20 hours of training in their first three months.

Demonstrable ROI: Quantifying the impact

Our internal upskilling isn’t just a feel-good initiative: it delivers measurable business impact. Last year, we grew our revenue per employee by 37% through strategic investments in AI and a cultural transformation to enable it.

We track several key outcomes, starting with tool usage. We’ve been able to demonstrate that those who engage with our AI upskilling programmes use our AI tools much more frequently than those who don't: for example, they log 73% more Gemini interactions.

We also look for impact stories, quantifying the results of the training, such as the reduced number of hours spent on certain activities or specific cost savings. Across our departments, we’ve logged more than 220 AI use cases created, representing how our team has reimagined their workflows to be more efficient and effective.

If you are a People leader looking to future-proof your organisation, the answer isn't a complex, expensive external hiring spree. The answer is empowering every member of your team with the skills and confidence to excel in the AI-driven future, right now.

Together, in collaboration with NHS HR, Apprenticeship & Workforce professionals, we've successfully upskilled hundreds of NHS staff members across 100 NHS Trusts. This isn't just a number: it represents a fundamental transformation in how healthcare is delivered, from the frontline to the back office, as staff gain the confidence and expertise to harness the power of technology.

Our partnership was born with the aim of empowering existing NHS staff to drive innovation from within. In a sector with increasing demands and shrinking resources, data and AI present a much needed solution to a growing problem.

“Data more so than ever is a critical commodity in the NHS to support decision making, driving more efficient and effective outcomes for patients. We partnered with Multiverse to upskill our community in data science specialisms, and over the past 18 months, we’ve seen apprentices directly apply their learnings to deliver real results.”

Barbara Begg
Head of Central Commercial Function – Commercial Capability at NHS England

"We identified digital literacy as a key learning need early on, and our partnership with Multiverse supported us in addressing it through high-quality apprenticeships. The Multiverse team has always been responsive and collaborative, making it easy to support learners and keep momentum going.”

Roxanne Moran
Talent, Learning and Development Manager at National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Apprentices are already putting their new skills to use, building innovative solutions that transform their work.

At Royal Free London NHS Foundation, an administrator migrated patient management processes to a digital system, doubling the daily department case load from 30 to 60 patients and reducing wait times from more than 30 minutes, to only 10.

Meanwhile at Medway Foundation Trust, an endoscopy nurse built a Power BI dashboard to automate the theatre audit processes, reducing delays, minimising errors and enhancing resource allocation.

None of this would have been possible without the hard work of HR, Apprenticeship & Workforce professionals across the NHS, who have supported learners to achieve these incredible results, in partnership with senior executive leadership teams.

"The NHS has the highest potential to benefit from technology of any institution in the UK, and its commitment to upskilling its people with the digital and AI skills needed for the future is a testament to its leadership,” said Euan Blair, Founder and CEO at Multiverse. “We've been consistently inspired by the apprentices and the leadership teams who have championed them—they are the true innovators, driving change to make a tangible difference in patient care and operational efficiency."

“Working with Multiverse has been seamless from our very first conversation. The team is responsive, supportive and willing to adapt to our needs as an organisation. Multiverse has also been very effective at understanding our strategic objectives, ensuring our apprenticeships have maximum impact to improve our processes, and ultimately, the delivery of care.”

Samantha Ibison
Apprenticeship and Employability Lead at Leeds & York NHS Trust

We really have enjoyed working with Multiverse – they’re engaged, responsive, and flexible to the changing (and sometimes conflicting!) needs of a big organisation like ours. The apprenticeships have been really popular and are clearly helping us meet the needs of our workforce. We’re excited to continue our partnership with Multiverse and to see the lasting impact it will have on our staff and the care we provide to patients.”

Susana Lucena-Amaro
Associate Director for Learning & Development and Apprenticeships at Barts Health NHS Trust

By equipping the NHS workforce with the latest digital and AI skills, Multiverse is not only helping individuals grow their careers but also empowering the entire healthcare system to become more efficient, innovative, and resilient.

The staff Multiverse has trained are now the data champions, the digital pioneers and the AI innovators who are helping to make the NHS more ready for the challenges of tomorrow.

That's why we're evolving the Multiverse Platform to ensure no learner is ever alone on their upskilling journey.

Our 24/7 AI coach, Atlas, is more than a learning companion. Now, Atlas actively suggests, challenges, and offers instant feedback, empowering your teams to hone new skills rapidly and apply them in the workplace.

Keep reading to find out how Atlas helps your teams unleash real business value.

Building the right skills, right now

In the age of AI, competitive advantage isn't just about adopting new tech - it's about how fast your teams build the skills to use it.

A recent study on workforce intelligence reveals how skills velocity (the ability to quickly develop new industry and tech skills) will be the secret to unlocking real competitive advantage in the AI age.

That means continuous upskilling will become more vital than ever. Over two thirds of leaders say new workforce skills will be needed to remain competitive by 2030.

But to drive maximum impact, learning can’t be limited to individuals or specific teams. You need the ability to scale skills quickly across your entire workforce.

Atlas serves as a point-of-need solution, adapting to learner needs, industry, and role contexts, ensuring the development of the right skills at the right time.

Powerful collaboration, with true engagement

A paradox is emerging with many AI tools. They’re designed to make work tasks easier - but that risks making teams less skilled by offloading critical thinking.

An MIT study on 'Cognitive Debt' found that using AI assistants for writing tasks led to reduced brain activity, while other academic papers show that 'Cognitive Offloading' - delegating thinking to AI - is directly correlated with a decline in critical thinking skills.

So, how does Atlas avoid this pitfall?

Rather than simply allowing learners to offload cognitive work, Atlas is designed to foster what academics like Siemens and Moldoveanu (2025) call "interactional intelligence".

Practically, this means Atlas uses a Socratic, context-aware method to encourage critical thinking within the context of a learner's role and industry.

This helps your teams build a crucial skill - using AI not as a shortcut, but as a collaborative partner to deepen understanding and solve complex problems. But we don’t stop there. Learners are also actively taught to critically assess AI outputs, and strategically guide it to respond to their needs.

Our data shows this in action. Our learners are using Atlas as a thinking partner, not an answer machine. They’re conducting complex, goal-oriented activities, that demonstrate true engagement:

• Solving technical & practical problems (34%)
• Understanding & learning (27%)
• Creating & delivering projects (20%)
• Admin support (16%)

Three features, designed to create maximum value

To build this deeper engagement, our expert Product Teams - with deep industry expertise in artificial intelligence, educational psychology, and learning science - are enhancing three features that help learners actively engage with Atlas.

Guidance with context

Atlas is built into every page of the Multiverse platform. It knows exactly what learners are working on and tailors its guidance to that moment.

Whether they ask Atlas to help locate key resources, understand their learning schedule or troubleshoot issues, Atlas leverages its role and context-aware capabilities to provide real-time support.

Sometimes AI isn't enough. If a question is too complex or needs a human touch, Atlas will recognise this and connect your learner to the right person - whether that’s one of our expert instructors, or one of our support teams that help to resolve tooling issues, support additional learning needs and learner wellbeing.

Generating high-value project ideas

Atlas is a transformative partner that empowers learners to engage deeply, think critically, and apply their knowledge with immediate impact.

To close the gap between learning and application, Atlas helps learners to brainstorm high-value project ideas in the context of their industry and role. Atlas acts as an invaluable collaborative partner.

It suggests innovative approaches, challenges underlying assumptions, and provides instant feedback on initial concepts.

This iterative dialogue guides learners toward the most impactful opportunities at work, ensuring learners apply their skills on areas that will have the most benefit to them, their team and their organisation.

Helping learners apply their new skills

As learners embark on applying new skills in a workplace project, Atlas functions as a powerful coach.

Atlas challenges learners to deepen their understanding, helping to explain unfamiliar terms in language that resonates to each learner, and helping to break down complex topics into manageable steps.

When a learner is writing a report, Atlas can act as a thinking, writing, and editing partner, helping to outline, develop arguments, spark counter-arguments, and refine in real-time.

Similarly, in coding, Atlas can assist with code generation and debugging, transforming a traditionally individual task into a collaborative one. This interactive approach ensures that skills are not just learned, but truly mastered and applied.

The future of upskilling is here

The Multiverse Platform, powered by Atlas, champions a future where human potential is amplified, not diminished, by AI. We’ll help you build a workforce equipped with future-ready skills - and provide expert guidance to help your teams power productivity and performance.

At Multiverse, we know that line managers play a crucial role in a successful learning journey. But having the right information at your fingertips is key.

That’s why we’ve launched your new Line Manager Dashboard - a tool designed to give you a clearer view of apprentice progress and empower you to be an even more effective mentor.

A central view of apprentice progress

The new dashboard centralises the progress and support insights you need to effortlessly guide your apprentices.

Gain clear visibility to help your team members as they apply their new skills in practice throughout their learning journey.

Key features include:

• Off-the-Job Hours: Quickly see if your apprentice is on track with their required learning hours, ensuring they meet this core programme requirement.
• Session Attendance: View their attendance in recent coaching and delivery sessions, giving you a clear picture of their engagement.
• Project Status: Understand which projects have been started and submitted, helping you stay informed on their progress with programme deliverables.

From data to development

This visibility is designed for one primary purpose: to help you have more meaningful, data-informed conversations.

When you can easily see an apprentice’s engagement and progress, you can:

• Celebrate progress by acknowledging when projects are submitted and work is complete.
• Proactively support: The dashboard provides clear flags to help you easily pinpoint apprentices needing support, allowing you to step in with guidance at the right moment.
• Drive meaningful discussions by asking informed questions about the specific projects they are working on.

Ultimately, the dashboard empowers you to support your apprentices proactively and helps you feel more connected to their learning journey.

Keen to see it in action?

The Line Manager Dashboard is another step in our journey to build a truly exceptional learning platform - helping you unlock the full potential of your teams and deliver measurable impact for your organisation.

We spoke to Claire Bolton from Capita, about the steps for launching a new upskilling programme and how to align apprenticeships with AI adoption.

Welcome to Apprenticeship Architects, Claire. Can you tell us about your role and the apprenticeship programme you launched with Multiverse?

I'm Claire Bolton, Head of Apprenticeships and Professional Development at Capita. I work with Multiverse and other providers to promote apprenticeship programmes for Capita across the business.

I ensure programmes are of good quality and are fit for purpose, for the individuals and the organisation. I work with senior leaders at Capita to align the apprenticeships with Capita’s strategy. I’ve been working with Multiverse for some time on the AI for Business Value apprenticeship.

You’re now on your fourth intake of employees to the apprenticeship programme. Can you walk us through how it’s evolved?

At first, it was a big bang – we had so much interest across the business. It's evolved quite significantly over the four cohorts.

Initially, we started with a ‘transformation accelerator’ group. We held in-depth stakeholder interviews to understand:

• Where they sit in the business and what they’re involved in
• Who they work with and who works for them
• How could this programme add value to them?
• What are the problem statements this programme could potentially support?

We gave that information to the coaches working on the programme.

This is how you know, while building this knowledge, you're going to make a difference. And then we can use the projects they're working on, like a full cycle, and feed it back to those senior leaders.

What’s the biggest impact you’ve seen from the Multiverse apprenticeship programme?

The biggest thing is confidence. The [AI for Business Value] apprenticeship gives everybody the opportunity to start at the same level and build confidence.

For those in client-facing roles, they can go into a client meeting, take that new knowledge, and share the journey they've been on. That will be hugely powerful in our organisation to ensure our clients have confidence in us as their trusted advisor.

Can you explain the steps you took so learners knew what to expect?

In any apprenticeship at Capita, we're keen to make sure we have the right people, on the right programme, at the right time. No one wants to start a course and then drop out.

With Multiverse, we built out a comprehensive insight session. Following the first two cohorts, we took it one step further and it grew into a taster session.

It transformed from a factual session about the course, goals, and eligibility criteria into a preview of what sessions are like and how they're delivered. That way, learners get an idea of whether it would work for them. Having that exposure before they've committed has been really successful.

How do learners on AI for Business Value actually implement their new projects

We're very lucky to have Tiina Stevens, Director of Digital at Capita, who leads our AI engagement internally. She's been really involved in the programme, hosting sessions for apprentices to provide insight into her role, highlighting how they can have an impact on the business and its direction.

Tiina has introduced our AI Catalyst Lab, [which houses] all of the identified opportunities where AI could be applied as part of a solution. Apprentices have full access to align their projects to this Lab and have the opportunity to work with Tiina and her team to see it to fruition, which is really exciting.

How are you sharing success with the rest of the business?

Seeing the projects - and the impact individuals are creating - brings it to life.

This isn't just sitting in a classroom and learning the theory. They genuinely are changing the way our organisation is performing, developing and serving our clients and their customers, because they understand AI and how it can benefit them.

We share [learner] outputs in a variety of ways. We might do a session with a senior leader who previously identified the challenge. It might be that we'll have an internal community where we'll post various case studies of the projects. It varies, but it's important to complete that circle and show the successes of individuals and the impact on the business.

In National Apprenticeship Week, we had a panel session which we live-streamed across the organisation. We had six learners on the programme at the time who were able to speak about their experience.

That was incredible. Not only did it touch so many different people, it managed to get a huge audience watching virtually. It spotlighted the individuals as well as the programme overall.

We've talked about lots of positives, were there any challenges, and how did we overcome them?

One that sticks out for me – which was probably a good challenge – is we had to be careful about who we put on the programme. There was so much excitement and so much appetite. Understandably, everyone wanted to go on it. So we had to be strategic and selective as to who we could invite to join.

We did that by ensuring we had really good relationships with senior stakeholders who understood the needs of their divisions. They could work with us to identify who’s top of the list that needs to go on this immediately, who can afford to wait until the next cohort, and so on.

Without that strategic partnership with the wider business, the leaders, and their knowledge, we wouldn't have that clarity.

What’s your top advice for HR teams at the start of this journey?

I've got two. One would be to not underestimate the power of real stories. We've four cohorts in, and our first isn't far off graduating. We've got tangible impact statements, reports, projects and outcomes that we can share with our business and with our clients. It's real, it's not theory. The more we can promote those, the better.

My second bit of advice is to work with the business, layer by layer. The real success has been understanding each area of our business and how this can help individual teams, before tailoring the nominations and the offering.

We've spoken lots about the wider impact, do you have any individual success stories you want to share?

Many learners [have created] significant impact since being on the programme, but one in particular stands out from our first cohort. They had no exposure to AI and joined full of enthusiasm and excitement, like everyone does.

There was a moment when she wasn't sure if she was going to stay on the programme. And she'll tell you that she's delighted she did, because she turned that corner, and started to see the change in her thinking and doors opening internally. She's doing some brilliant work in leading AI change in her area of the business.

It’s a lovely, good news story, about achieving something that you might not have thought you could and going through all of the challenges to get there, but actually seeing the benefits afterwards.

What's your long-term vision for the AI for Business Value programme at Capita?

I’d love to create a sense of communal learning in Capita. AI is changing all the time, and it's important our colleagues are continuously developing their learning in this space.

So even once they've completed the programme, it would be lovely to create a space for them to share their learning regularly. That might be a regular spotlight ‘lunch and learn’ where we invite apprentices to share the projects they're working on.

That would be a way to spread the knowledge, excitement, and confidence across the business as well as keep momentum. We can't stand still, because we'll get left behind.

At Multiverse, we’ve been keenly following the establishment of Skills England, a new government agency sponsored by the Department for Education, which brings together partners from inside and outside government to drive improvements to England’s skills landscape, to power economic growth and opportunity.

What is Skills England’s role in assessing skills?

As the country’s authoritative voice on current and future skills needs, one of Skills England’s primary responsibilities is identifying skills gaps across the economy through comprehensive skills assessments.

The goal is to create a skills system ‘fit for the future’, and to ensure that the government’s skills strategy and policies are informed by a data-driven approach.

Introducing the Skills for Growth and Opportunity Report

Skills England published its Skills for Growth and Opportunity Report in June 2025, following a period of data analysis and engagement with employers and other stakeholders about the country’s growth and skills offer.

The report brings together a wealth of evidence including analysis of Government data and insights from 743 stakeholders, including employers.

It identifies the challenges faced by employers in developing skills pipelines and the critical importance of the skills system in delivering the Government’s missions and wider priorities, including its Industrial Strategy.

Crucially, it highlights long-standing skills shortages across the eight Industrial Strategy Growth-Driving Sectors:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Clean Energy Industries
• Creative Industries
• Defence
• Digital and Technologies
• Financial Services
• Life Sciences
• Professional and Business Services

And in two additional ‘critical’ sectors:

• Construction - essential for achieving the government’s wider house building aims)
• Health and Adult Social Care - facing pressures as a result of demographic shifts

Skills England report: Three takeaways from Multiverse

Skills England offers an overarching perspective on themes pervasive across these sectors.

These include the escalating demand for highly qualified workers, the prevalence of gender inequality in various priority sectors, and the importance of the wider education system, including careers advice, in addressing skills challenges.

Three themes particularly caught our attention:

1) The digital and AI revolution is transforming workforce skills

According to Skills England, the unprecedented pace of technological change is a ‘major driver of changing skills needs across sectors’ with AI in particular reshaping the future of the workforce.

For example, in the creative industries, 69% of employers say their staff need urgent retraining due to new technologies. The report demonstrates that both advanced digital skills and digital literacy are in critical demand - with basic digital skills set to become the UK’s largest skills gap by 2030.

2) Reskilling is essential to combat the widening digital gap

Employers highlighted the importance of both reskilling the existing workforce alongside upskilling new entrants, with apprenticeships identified as an important tool in enabling this, particularly in relation to the adoption of AI and data science.

Despite this technological revolution, Multiverse research has shown that more than half of workers have received fewer than five hours of training on AI, and just one third (34%) of FTSE 100 companies reference AI training in their latest annual reports.

That’s why we’ve recently launched a commitment to train 15,000 new AI apprentices over the next two years.

3) Flexible apprenticeships and training options are key

Employers see the value in apprenticeships but are calling for more flexible, responsive models such as shorter, flexible courses or ‘bolt-on’ training in AI, to meet business needs as they evolve.

Multiverse has long been calling for increased flexibility in the apprenticeship system so as to widen access to learning and ensure the apprenticeship system truly serves the immediate and evolving needs of businesses.

The path forward

The Department for Education is currently developing a Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy, which will articulate its long-term vision for skills.

While we don’t expect major changes any time soon, decisions also lie ahead regarding the future of the Growth and Skills Levy, and how much increased flexibility this might offer for employers in the future.

Skills England’s assessment is a critical first step in closing the nation’s skills gaps and designing a system that will unlock economic growth. The message is clear - investing in workforce skills is instrumental to driving productivity and economic growth.

Add AI into the mix and the opportunity grows even larger. But a complex ecosystem of legacy technology and workforce skills gaps makes transformation a challenge.

The NHS is investing in updated IT systems, including a £1.5 billion NHS framework to support the analogue to digital switch, but enduring change goes beyond new hardware.

To achieve tangible benefits and ROI, the NHS workforce needs the critical skills to implement digital systems and AI effectively.

The role of digital skills in the NHS

Today, all NHS employees – clinical, administrative, or otherwise – are expected to be data consumers, whether using dashboards, filing electronic patient records, or communicating using a patchwork of online systems. As a result, all roles now need a baseline level of digital literacy.

Yet, when some hear words like digital, AI and upskilling, all they hear are buzzwords.

Upskilling in critical digital, data and AI skills translates into greater productivity, which in turn, results in a better standard of patient care.

Let's explore stories of tangible, employee-led change happening at NHS trusts across the country.

Improving data visibility at Barts Health NHS Trust

Apprentice role: Data Analyst, Transfer of Care Hub

Barts Health NHS Trust launched a data and digital academy with Multiverse to help drive efficiency gains and improve patient experience.

A Data Analyst on the apprenticeship programme used her skills to build a central dashboard that monitors compliance levels and key performance indicators in the Transfer of Care Hub.

The dashboard streamlines access to critical data for the entire team, saving two hours per week in the creation of data packs and ad-hoc reports. By identifying and resolving data quality issues, the learner has also enabled more reliable reporting and the development of targeted interventions.

Today, the hub enjoys streamlined access to data that helps them understand performance and areas for improvement. New automations save each team member between 30 minutes and one hour per day, freeing their time to focus on patient care.

Minimising waiting times at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Apprentice role: Administrator, Adult Assessment Unit

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust partnered with Multiverse to improve data literacy within data teams, supporting the Trust’s strategy to become a data-driven organisation.

One learner was an administrator in the Adult Assessment Unit at Barnet Hospital’s emergency department. He felt the unit could be made more efficient by migrating paper-based patient management processes to a digital Electronic Health Record (EHR).

The learner used skills acquired from his apprenticeship to map the patient journey and demonstrate how it could be improved.

He consulted with small focus groups comprising employees across the unit to iterate and ensure the new solution delivered value to every user.

Today, the digital tool enables efficient, end-to-end patient management for the unit.

For instance, patient sign-ins automatically trigger arrival notifications for the relevant clinicians, and test results are sent digitally instead of being printed and physically distributed.

Digitalisation has helped double the daily department caseload from 30 to 60 patients and reduce waiting times from over 30 minutes to 10 minutes.

For his efforts, the learner has earned a well-deserved promotion to Data Coordinator.

Improving theatre audits at Medway NHS Foundation Trust

Apprentice role: Band 5 Endoscopy Nurse

The Endoscopy Unit at Medway NHS Foundation Trust faced inefficiencies and delays in decision-making due to time-consuming, paper-based processes.

An Endoscopy Nurse, Joy Onuoha, applied the data skills she learnt on the Multiverse apprenticeship programme to develop a Power Business Intelligence (BI) dashboard that automated the theatre audit processes.

Joy integrated multiple data sources and designed interactive visualisations to track critical metrics, delivering real-time insights to inform the unit’s decision-making.

Automating the process has led to reducing delays and minimising errors, and enhanced resource allocation for clinical sisters so they can focus on what they do best – delivering high-quality care to patients.

In acknowledgement of her work to streamline data collection, Joy recently received a Chief Nursing Officer’s Award for Most Innovative Nurse.

Joy said: “This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the skills, knowledge, and confidence I gained through the Multiverse fellowship. Learning about data analytics, visualisation, and automation has empowered me to identify clinical inefficiencies and implement data-driven solutions."

Since completing the apprenticeship, Joy has been promoted to the role of Clinical Practice Facilitator.

Upskilling initiatives empower the NHS

Across trusts, hospitals, and all other healthcare organisations, upskilling is delivering tangible value to the NHS. Employees aren’t just building digital, data and AI skills for the future, they’re applying them within their roles to deliver real benefits operationally and, importantly, the patients in their care.

Multiverse is empowering every NHS employee to unlock innovation and improve patient care through our applied learning programmes. Discover more

Article originally featured in HSJ Online

We spoke to Gareth Kenward, Head of Early Careers and Skills Development at Babcock, a leading defence company, about the steps they’ve made in data upskilling and the crucial role of line managers.

Welcome to Apprenticeship Architects, Gareth. First off, can you tell us about yourself and your role at Babcock?

I’m an early careers manager at Babcock, looking after apprentices, graduates, STEM, and external engagement at a specific site, while working closely with Multiverse on our data apprenticeship programmes.

Why did Babcock decide to launch the Data Academy?

Our large workforce relies heavily on data in day-to-day operations. Over the years, I’ve worked with the business to introduce a range of apprenticeship programmes – mainly at levels three and four, with some at level six – focused on upskilling our existing teams.

The goal is to ensure we’re making the most of our data, driving both efficiency and effectiveness. And partnering with Multiverse has been a big part of making that happen.

The programme grew quickly, which has been fantastic. We’ve got a significant number of learners enrolled, and the feedback from both apprentices and their line managers has been really positive. It’s been a real success so far, and we’re already seeing a tangible impact.

What were the key goals and business challenges you wanted to address with the programme?

Automation is revolutionising the maritime industry, enabling organisations to save considerable time and money, freeing up the workforce to focus on higher-value tasks and boosting overall productivity.

Beyond that, we also wanted the Data Academy to drive broader business efficiency and strengthen our position with clients and investors.

How did you set managers up to support apprentices from the programme’s launch?

For any apprenticeship programme to succeed, all three parties – apprentices, the business (represented by line managers), and the training provider – need to align on expectations.

For line managers, it's about helping them balance providing support for apprentices without becoming a burden or impacting their daily duties. To set them up for success, we worked with Multiverse to run dedicated sessions outlining expectations from both sides – what we needed from managers and what they could expect from Multiverse.

The sessions also helped clear up common misconceptions about apprenticeships and ensured managers were going in with their eyes open.

Feedback from these sessions was overwhelmingly positive. Apprentices felt reassured that their managers understood the significance and demands of the programme, which in turn made them more confident when asking for time to focus on their development.

More people completed the programme and brought their new skills back into the business.

What tools did you give line managers for guiding and mentoring apprentices?

On top of setting clear expectations, line managers knew where to go for additional support or resources. We built a mentorship network giving apprentices access to additional mentors – beyond their direct line managers – to give extra layers of help.

Multiverse coaches in the Data Academy – while primarily focused on apprentices – gave line managers advice and guidance on how to provide effective support.

And Multiverse’s ability to collate feedback from line managers has been incredibly useful. By establishing clear feedback loops we drilled into the challenges managers were facing to adapt the programme accordingly.

With such a large workforce, how do you strike the balance between learners hitting their goals while making a positive learning experience?

My mantra – which my team is probably tired of hearing – is that you have to start with the right learner on the right programme. And that applies at both the individual and team level.

For example, if you have five people from the same team of six in the Data Academy all at once, you’ll undoubtedly run into some operational challenges. The business’ needs always have to be balanced against the requirements of the programme.

The second part is about regular feedback and check-ins. We continuously monitor workloads to ensure they’re manageable. Proactive support is key – once a learner starts falling behind, it can be difficult to catch up.

It’s a multifaceted challenge, so it requires a layered approach.

What else have you done to stop learners from feeling overwhelmed?

Our mentoring network has been one of the most impactful. Sometimes, learners simply need help with their programme. But often, it’s guidance around how to manage their workload or balance their day job with their studies that apprentices need.

Time management is a critical challenge, so giving apprentices access to mentors outside their direct line management structure offers that additional layer of support.

We also make sure they’re aware of the broader wellbeing resources available at Babcock, including mental health first aiders, financial advice and medical support. It’s important people know they can always access help – not just for their studies but for anything affecting their ability to perform at work.

When we get feedback on learners' challenges, we work to resolve them.

Because we use a response mechanism to receive feedback, it’s an inherently reactive process. We try to act as fast as possible, as we know the sooner we do, the more likely we are to keep learners engaged and on track.

You successfully maximised Babcock’s Apprenticeship Levy spend. How do you measure and show the ROI of the Data Academy?

For us, it all comes back to impact. While we’re pleased to make full use of the Levy, it's more important that we invest in apprenticeships that deliver real business value.

We frame the Data Academy as a tool for making the company more operationally and financially successful. By tying learner success to the business, we show the value of the programme more clearly.

We also track ROI carefully, with Multiverse helping us measure the programme’s impact – particularly in terms of time savings.

For instance, if a task that previously took a week can now be completed in three days through better data handling, that’s an immediate efficiency gain. In some cases, apprentices have identified new ways to streamline processes they’re close to, saving money and improving service delivery.

We want to ensure learners complete the programme and use their new skills to help the business achieve its objectives.

You’ve been a key advocate for expanding the Data Academy. What’s your vision for the future of apprenticeships at Babcock?

We’ve scaled quickly and are now seeing real ROI, which is fantastic – but there’s still plenty of room to grow.

Data is everywhere in our business, and nearly every role interacts with data in some way.

Our goal is to identify areas where data skills will have the biggest impact, so we can achieve the quickest and most significant wins.

By expanding strategically into these areas, we can continue to demonstrate the Academy’s value across the organisation.

What’s one final piece of advice you'd give to other organisations looking to create a successful apprenticeship programme at scale?

It comes down to building strong, open partnerships. Having the right people in the room at the right time is essential – whether that’s during setup, scaling, or refinement.

Clear, honest communication makes all the difference. It allows you to celebrate what’s working and quickly adapt to what isn’t.

Finally, learn from others. Speaking to organisations already running large-scale programmes – especially those working with Multiverse – offers invaluable insights.

Sharing experiences with peers has helped us refine and strengthen our approach.

Ultimately, the key is to stay flexible and collaborative. Building a successful apprenticeship programme at scale is never a one-and-done effort, but an ongoing journey of learning and improvement.

This week, we’re speaking to Melissa Hope, Organisational Development Manager at Oxford City Council, about how their apprenticeship programme has managed to foster a new culture of collaboration across the organisation.

Welcome to Apprenticeship Architects, Melissa. First off, tell us about your role at Oxford City Council and the apprenticeship programme you launched with Multiverse.

I’m responsible for organisational learning and development (L&D) and providing support across the council. So, I work with managers and our leadership team to help deliver on our corporate strategy.

We’re currently working with Multiverse on four apprenticeships: AI for Business Value, AI-Powered Productivity, Business Transformation Fellowship and Data and Insights for Business Decisions. Across these four areas, 42 people started their apprenticeships in December last year.

What were the key goals for the programme, and how did it support the broader goals of the City Council?

We launched the apprenticeship programme to help our employees make better use of AI tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. Many were already experimenting with it, but didn’t fully understand how to best use the technology in their day-to-day roles.

Our goal was to reduce the time spent on repetitive, manual tasks by equipping our people with the skills to use these tools more effectively. This aligned with our broader efforts to streamline data use, improve processes and grow collaboration.

The programme also supported the rollout of our AI policy, which offers guidance on how to deal with AI and data safely, effectively, and ethically. Alongside this, we introduced a Microsoft Copilot strategy, giving all employees access to free licences.

Apprentices have been working with our ‘change agents’ – employees who drive internal innovation alongside their usual roles – to compare the free and business versions of Copilot.

They’ve created how-to guides, tested use cases, and shared findings to identify where advanced tools may drive the most impact. The collaboration has helped shape how we use AI across the council, really driving efficiency and change.

How did you structure the partnership with Multiverse in line with other L&D initiatives?

First, we integrated it into our people plan and held a ‘Let’s Talk’ session, open to everyone. These sessions focused on L&D, giving people insight into upcoming opportunities and helping them make informed decisions about which route would best suit them.

Alongside Multiverse, we also offered a range of other L&D opportunities so everyone understood the full spectrum of options available, allowing them to choose what worked best for them.

Could you tell us about the process of securing internal buy-in for the apprenticeship programme?

Before launch, we spent six to seven months building the foundation with Multiverse. We started with a data and AI skills scan across the whole organisation to identify gaps.

Multiverse then helped us present the findings alongside the business value of an upskilling programme to our corporate leadership team – showing how data-driven skills could save time and improve processes.

With leadership buy-in, we were then allocated an executive sponsor: Tom Hook, Deputy Chief Executive of city and citizen services. His support has really helped us keep on top of the programme and drive the initiative from the top-down.

Tom and I met with all the service directors individually to talk about the programme – the benefits, impact, and any concerns they might have – and this information was then disseminated down to managers.

We also ran sessions where employees could learn about the programme’s content, commitments and benefits, after which they could submit an expression of interest. We then worked with managers to confirm that the programme aligned with participants’ roles and career stages.

Your initial cohort was a big undertaking, involving 5% of the council workforce. Can you tell us about what it takes to successfully launch an apprenticeship at scale?

We needed to make sure that the programme was manageable for the organisation. So, we took a phased approach with employees given the choice to join either Cohort One or Two, depending on their schedules.

We also gave Multiverse data on the service areas and how many people worked in each, so we could make sure we had good coverage across the organisation.

Staggering the rollout kept it manageable, and we worked with directors to plan for the time commitments. Planning this way gave us a clear view of the cohorts' scope, helping us set them up for success.

What other steps did you take to ensure employees were set up for success on the programme?

To prepare participants, we ran detailed information sessions so they understood the weekly commitment: six hours, with three spent applying their skills in real work scenarios.

Once the programme was underway, we ran a quick survey to get early feedback, helping us pick up on any teething issues. Multiverse also checked in regularly, ensuring everyone knew what they needed to do and where to go for support.

And what results have you observed so far from the programme?

We’re now around three months into the programme, and while we haven’t formally measured the impact yet, we’re already hearing some fantastic feedback from colleagues.

One standout example comes from a colleague on the Data Insight for Business Decisions apprenticeship. Within 10 minutes of her first module, she’d already picked up something she could immediately apply to her role.

As she’s part of my team, I’ve been fortunate to see the impact first-hand. During a recent people team away day, she demonstrated her new Power BI skills to 22 colleagues, showing how she streamlined the reporting process for large volumes of internal data. What once took hours of manual input is now faster, clearer, and far more user-friendly.

Best of all, she quickly shared her learnings with others, spreading best practices across the council – a great example of the apprenticeships delivering value early on.

What about the general initial response from employees on the programme?

People are enjoying it – and they’re learning from day one!

There was a short adjustment period as people found the balance between the apprenticeship and their day jobs, but they seem to be coping well. The quality of the learning and the coaches have all been called out as standout strengths.

It's been especially exciting to see how the learnings are extending beyond the formal sessions. Colleagues have set up their own groups to meet, collaborate on assignments and share project ideas.

The cross-council collaboration is an example of the culture shift that’s taking shape: employees are taking new skills and using them to work together, solve problems and drive real change.

How do you plan to measure and demonstrate the ongoing impact of the apprenticeship programme?

From the outset, we worked with Multiverse to map out a clear business value plan. We identified key areas to measure, including improved productivity and time savings, as well as shared best practices.

We’ve also partnered with Multiverse’s customer service team to create a joint success plan. That’s been a really thoughtful touch – the team took the time to share their insights on the potential successes they saw for us based on what they’d learned about our organisation.

We’ve since added our own priorities to that list and are in the middle of finalising that plan. We meet regularly to review it, combining feedback from both Multiverse with our own teams’ to make sure the programme’s impact is clear and shows measurable results.

And what’s Oxford City Council’s long-term vision for the Multiverse Apprenticeship Programme?

Cohort Two is officially in motion and it’s exciting to see the growing interest from people who didn’t initially consider the programme. Managers are asking when the next cohort will start because they have team members eager to take part since seeing the impact of Cohort One.

We’re now working to map out the plan and timeline so that we have plenty of time to do it properly. That means running the same thorough process: giving people clear, detailed information so they can make informed decisions and ensuring we have the right people on the right programmes at the right time.

What was your biggest challenge in the process of launching the programme, and how did you overcome it?

Shifting the perception of apprenticeships. When we started, many still associated them with new starters or younger employees, when in reality, they’re for all ages and levels.

Luckily, I have experience in the apprenticeship field, which helped me passionately advocate for the programme. It was important to communicate that apprenticeships range from entry level to the equivalent of a master’s degree, making them a valuable tool for not only upskilling existing employees but also attracting new talent.

Information sessions helped us overcome many of these misconceptions. We had plenty of one-on-one conversations and made sure to demonstrate the value apprenticeships bring at all levels.

The other big challenge was time commitment concerns. Initially, many employees and managers assumed six hours a week would be unmanageable. But once employees settled in and it became part of their routine, they started seeing rewards in the form of time saved and increased productivity.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other HR leaders looking to launch an apprenticeship programme?

Don’t be scared of apprenticeships.

Many already know the value they can bring, which is great. But if you’re not sure, Multiverse will guide you every step of the way. But you have to put in the groundwork upfront – there’s no point rushing the process.

So, take your time, speak with the right people across your organisation and secure buy-in from the top down.