Latest AI and Data apprenticeships mark largest training cohort for the university.
Following successful pilot programmes that delivered measurable improvements across its operations, the University of Southampton is expanding its digital training initiative to a wider cohort of staff. The AI and Data apprenticeships programme with Multiverse has welcomed an additional 150 colleagues, marking the university’s largest cohort yet.
Initial participants were quick to apply their new skills and drive tangible business impact, with one learner mitigating room inspection failures through clearer data and the implementation of a new process tracker. Other learners made strides in reducing admin bottlenecks, with one significantly cutting down reporting time and another developing a Power BI dashboard which led to a major reduction in issues with student engagement monitoring.
Building on this success, the University has recently extended the programmes to a new cohort of staff, reflecting the demand for digital skills across the organisation and the value demonstrated by earlier cohorts in increasing accuracy and reducing the burden of manual activities.
Staff have enrolled into one of four Multiverse courses, including AI-centric programmes Level 3 AI-Powered Productivity and Level 4 AI for Business Value. These courses will improve confidence in ethical and effective AI tool adoption, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, helping teams to integrate these tools into tasks across their workflows.
The Level 3 Data & Insights for Business Decisions and Level 4 Data Fellowship programmes will improve data handling and automation in Excel, PowerBI and Tableau, and train staff in predictive and statistical modelling to tackle hands-on projects and handle real operational challenges effectively.
Andrew Atherton, VP International and Engagement and Digital Strategy Sponsor at the University of Southampton, said: “Multiverse’s training programmes have shown what’s possible when staff are given the tools and confidence to apply digital thinking to their work. Having secured significant results already, we’re excited to equip even more of our people with robust skills in AI and data, helping us to deliver even better services for students and increase job satisfaction for employees.”
Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse said: “It’s fantastic to see the impact that Multiverse training has already had on the University of Southampton, whether it’s fewer room inspection failures or reduced reporting time. Expanding the training will give more staff the opportunity to innovate in their roles, creating a shared digital culture across the University.”
Multiverse is the upskilling platform for AI and tech adoption, which delivers personalised, on-the-job learning. Multiverse has trained more than 20,000 apprentices in AI, data and digital skills since 2016.
Over 1,500 companies work with Multiverse to deliver a new kind of learning that’s transforming the workforce at scale. Programmes are targeted at people of any age or career stage.
