By Alex Howley FIEP, Operations Director at The Growth Company
Over the past few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has begun to reshape the world of employment support. Many organisations now use Large Language Models (LLMs), Automated Transcription Systems, and other digital tools to reduce the time staff and service users devote to basic administration.
The use of these technologies is only likely to become more commonplace. Indeed, the new government recently signalled its intention to encourage their widespread adoption, with a view to improving public services, promoting innovation, and boosting economic growth.
So, what should our approach be in this brave new world? Will drop-in centres be filled with robots come 2036? And if so, should we be raising the alarm?
The truth is likely to be more prosaic than the hype-merchants and doomsayers would have you believe. I am a realist on AI, operating from the principle that it is here, and it is here to stay. What’s more, I have seen the benefits of using it in a professional setting first-hand. However, I am also mindful of the fact that technology is only ever a tool. No matter how advanced the next generation of AI models become, they will always fall short when it comes to authentic empathy, understanding, and dialogue.
With this in mind, let us consider two case studies from the Growth Company vaults: one that shows how AI can support employment advisors, and another that highlights the value of lived experience and human connection.
‘Magic’ Notes?
Around six months ago, one of our teams in the North West began trialling Magic Notes, a piece of software that records audio from meetings and automatically generates a written summary. The software was originally designed for social workers, but it has quickly spread to other casework settings, including the Employability sector.
As with so many AI-based enterprise tools, Magic Notes aims to reduce the administrative burden on frontline professionals, giving them more time to deal with clients. My colleague, Director for Employment Lynne Maguire, has been involved in the pilot from the beginning. She has been suitably impressed by its impact:
“Using Magic Notes means advisors can focus on speaking and listening to the person in front of them, instead of worrying about jotting everything down. It makes the interaction feel more relaxed and genuine, which helps build trust between the advisor and their client.
“The summaries it produces are clear and structured,” she continued, “and it picks up on the key points without needing any personal details; just first names. It has not only improved the quality of our notes, but it has also freed up time for advisors to concentrate on follow-up actions and supporting participants. It’s made a noticeable difference.”
Tanina Sheath, a senior service manager working on an IPS programme, agreed with Lynne’s assessment:
“I’ve worked as an advisor for around 20 years, and I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist about updating case notes. For most of that time, I did things the old-fashioned way, scribbling with a pen and paper during meetings, then typing everything up later into the CRM.
“I love having one-to-one conversations with participants, but there was always a nagging feeling afterwards of having to update my notes. I think tools like Magic Notes can take away a bit of the dread. I can properly engage with the conversation and nothing gets missed.”
The pilot scheme has also helped Tanina in an even more profound way:
“I was diagnosed with ADHD 18 months ago, which has helped me understand why I might have occasionally procrastinated when trying to complete case notes. I’d put huge pressure on myself to make sure everything was perfect, which often meant I’d take quite a long time to finish.
“I feel as though AI allows me to have good meetings with colleagues and participants and follow up faster than before. I’ve genuinely changed how I work and how I feel about my work.”
When applied to a clear and specific end, then, AI can reduce the time advisors need to spend on paperwork, without compromising quality or compliance, making it easier for them to focus on the most important part of their job: helping people.
Peer Mentoring
One programme that does just that is the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Peer Mentoring scheme, which the Growth Company delivers in the Liverpool City Region. While it shares many of the principles that underlie models such as IPS and supported employment, peer mentoring is based on a simple premise: people with lived experience of substance dependency are best placed to support others who are experiencing similar difficulties. Given their familiarity with the subject, peer mentors have a unique, intuitive understanding of people’s needs – a particularly effective quality when it comes to empowering affected individuals to access treatment and employment opportunities.
Another one of my colleagues, Beth Law, stands as a testament to this approach.
“Many of the participants that I work with have faced significant challenges that have made it hard for them to hold down a job. In addition to addiction, they may have had a chaotic upbringing, experienced homelessness, been excluded from mainstream education, or struggled with an untreated or undiagnosed health condition.
“The main benefit of peer mentoring,” Beth explained, “is that it shows people things can always change for the better. I have 15 years of personal experience with substance dependency, so in a way, when I sit across from them, I’m giving them a glimpse of a potential future.”
To be sure, a recent DWP evaluation found that peer mentoring works well because it encourages deep human connections. According to the study, mentors were able to build trust, offer practical advice, and help participants take steps towards achieving their goals. While the authors identified some logistical challenges – like finding enough mentors and suitable spaces – the overall impact was clear: peer mentoring helped people engage more fully with support services and make real progress in their recovery.
Some techno-optimists argue that it is only a matter of time before a chatbot can produce the same results, pointing to the fact that some people already use ChatGPT as a free therapist. For my part, I am sceptical that a probability machine will ever replicate or replace the nuance and often intangible rewards of human relationships. After all, there is a difference between being heard and being understood. One should never underestimate the profound consequences of such a difference.
In all my years, I have never heard a single person say that they would like their bank of choice to become more automated. On the contrary, countless people have told me that they would like to see more local branches on the high street and for a human being to answer the phone when they call the number on the back of their credit card.
Peer mentors speak to this phenomenon. They do more than provide pre-scripted answers gleaned from a well-structured database. They often help participants build confidence, navigate complex systems, and stay motivated, all through patient face-to-face engagement. In this way, they can transform a transactional appointment into a consequential relationship, with all the benefits that entails.
Final Thoughts
As employment support continues to evolve in response to technological innovation, it is vital to preserve and promote the human elements that make these services truly effective. Personalised support, grounded in empathy and shared experience, remains irreplaceable. Technology can improve how we support people, but it is human connection that ultimately delivers meaningful change and outcomes.
Bibliography
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Department for Work and Pensions (2025). Peer Mentoring Evaluation: A report on final research findings. DWP Research Report No. 1111. London: HM Government. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/peer-mentoring-evaluation-a-report-on-final-research-findings/peer-mentoring-evaluation-a-report-on-final-research-findings (Accessed: 29 October 2025).
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