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27/06/2025

By Claudine Adeyemi-Adams FIEP, Founder & CEO at Earlybird

Artificial intelligence (AI) will undoubtedly change employment support, just like all other
industries. Programmes such as Connect to Work highlight this growing interest, driving a lot of
conversations around procuring AI technology to support service delivery.

While selecting technology to support delivery is important, it often eclipses a critical question:
How do organisations develop the internal skills and structures needed to sustainably use these
tools effectively?

Without intentional focus on building AI capacity, even the best technology risks falling short,
either due to poor adoption, resistance from staff, or misalignment with existing practice.

iep summit claudine
Claudine Adeyemi-Adams FIEP, IEP Fellow of the Year 2025

Why Build AI Capacity

As an organisation, future-proofing your business should always be top of mind. And building AI
capacity is a strategic advantage today more than ever. When staff have the skills, context, and
confidence to work with AI, your organisation can build ownership, resilience, and adaptability.

This doesn’t mean becoming a tech company. It means you equip your people with at least
enough understanding to get the most out of the tools you choose and to shape them in ways
that truly support your service’s goals.

Here are 3 reasons why you should build AI capacity.

1) Staff Want to Grow
Frontline teams and managers alike are often eager to develop new digital skills. When given
the opportunity, they will often engage deeply with training that’s relevant to their roles. This
upskilling not only improves service delivery but also boosts morale and retention by showing
that your organisation is investing in its people.

2) Stronger Ownership and Accountability
When AI is something that’s “done to” a team, resistance tends to be higher. However, when
staff understand how AI fits into their work and have a hand in shaping its use, they’re far more likely to take ownership. Internal capacity ensures that your organisation isn’t dependent on vendors for every tweak, insight, or new use case.

3) Easier, More Sustainable Adoption
Change is hard, especially in service delivery environments with limited time and resources. But when AI is introduced to staff who have the skills to understand and question it, adoption is smoother. Teams are more likely to see AI as an aid, not a threat, which leads to more
sustainable and effective integration.

Becoming AI-Ready

So, what does it look like to build internal capacity for AI-enabled employment support?
While every organisation’s journey will differ, there are a few foundational steps that can help
guide the way, each one focused on making AI adoption practical, relevant, and sustainable.

Start with Training to Build Confidence

The first step is helping your team understand what AI is (and isn’t), how it works in practice,
and how it might show up in their roles. The IEP Learning Academy, with its AI for Employability
Award
is an example of a good resource for this. The goal isn’t deep technical expertise but
practical fluency. Good AI training should equip staff with the language, concepts, and examples
they need to engage meaningfully.

Focus on use cases relevant to employment support, such as triaging clients, matching to
vacancies, or CV writing. If possible, training can be role-specific, but most importantly,
hands-on and supported by internal champions or learning groups.

Create Space for Staff to Identify Use Cases

Once staff have a basic understanding of AI, they’re in the best position to spot where it could
help. That insight won’t come from leadership alone, it comes from those on the ground dealing
with real delivery friction.

Encourage teams to share ideas about pain points where AI might support them. This could
happen through workshops, internal idea boards, or dedicated “AI suggestion” channels. These
insights are the seeds of meaningful, context-specific AI innovation.

Build Strategic, Reputable Partnerships

Last but not least, no organisation needs to do this alone. Partnering with trusted, reputable
technology providers can help you move faster and with confidence. Employment support isn’t
like other sectors, and so the key is to find partners who have a deep understanding of your
context and are committed to working with you, not just selling to you.

Good partners will co-develop ideas, pilot responsibly, and help your teams grow their
confidence alongside the tools.

Together, these steps lay the groundwork for thoughtful, sustainable use of AI, not as a bolt-on
solution, but as a tool embedded in the culture, workflows, and strengths of your organisation.

Capacity and Technology Together

The steps above lay the groundwork for becoming AI-ready, but to truly move forward, capacity
and technology need to develop together.

Too often, organisations will either rush to buy software without preparing their teams enough or
invest heavily in training without ever applying it. Real innovation in the business needs internal
capability and practical solutions to evolve in tandem. Training needs to lead to action, and
technology should be introduced with the support and understanding required to use it well.
And, this is where leadership becomes critical.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not frontline staff who resist AI the most. According to McKinsey’s
AI in the Workplace 2025 Report, it is often hesitation at the top that slows things down. Many
employees are ready, even eager, to experiment with new tools once they see the value. But
without leadership setting a clear direction, supporting early experimentation and giving teams
room to learn, that readiness leads to nothing.

To be clear, this is not to say go all-in overnight. It’s about leadership setting a tone of curiosity
and commitment by starting small, doing AI pilots, championing learning (and failing), and
showing that AI is something the organisation will grow into together.
Leaders must move with intention because if they don’t, unsanctioned or poorly thought-through
uses of AI will start to appear on their own (if it hasn’t already), as the technology inevitably
makes its way into the workplace.

Conclusion and Next Steps

As AI begins to find its place in employment support, the organisations that will benefit most are
those that invest in their people, create space for experimentation, and build partnerships that
reflect their values and context.

By focusing on staff training, encouraging frontline input, and introducing technology in a
measured, collaborative way, you can lay the foundation for sustainable change. AI doesn’t
replace your organisation’s mission, it strengthens your ability to deliver it with more precision,
insight, and responsiveness.

And remember: you don’t have to do it all at once or do it alone.

At Earlybird, we’re here to support you on this journey. Whether you’re just starting to explore
possibilities or ready to pilot a solution, we’re happy to share our expertise and help build your
organisation’s AI capacity in a way that works for you.

Reach out – let’s talk about what’s possible.

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