Nottingham City Council launches AI academy to boost staff skills

Nottingham City Council has launched an AI Training Academy for 40 staff members, funded by Capital One and Enterprise.

The training, delivered by the upskilling platform Multiverse, is intended to equip council employees with artificial intelligence skills to support the council's improvement plans. Staff from various departments, including public health, public transport, children's services, and neighbourhood safety, have enrolled in the programme.

The council received apprenticeship levy transfers from Capital One, a financial services provider with a UK office local to Nottingham, to finance the initiative. Car rental agency Enterprise has also provided support for the training academy.

The training is designed to help staff reduce manual work and improve decision-making processes by applying practical AI skills in their daily tasks. The council aims for the programme to further productivity, decrease external spending, and deliver improved outcomes for residents.

Multiverse, which has trained over 20,000 apprentices in AI, data and digital skills since 2016, is providing the training through its personalised, on-the-job learning model. The company has been Nottingham City Council's training partner for several years, previously delivering data training that has improved individual efficiency among council staff by 21%. According to Multiverse, the average learner from previous cohorts is expected to save over one working month per year due to increased productivity.

The newly launched programme is a 13-month AI for Business Value course, classified as a Level 4 apprenticeship. It aims to teach staff how to identify ways to achieve business value via AI and ensure ethical execution of AI projects, supporting the sustainability and effectiveness of public services.

Sajeeda Rose, Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council, said: "This expanded Data and AI Academy allows us to combine data insights with AI capabilities, putting us in a strong position to deliver on our improvement plan. We're striving to be a council that works more effectively and efficiently for the people of Nottingham, and the skills acquired through our partnership with Multiverse will help us to achieve this goal."

Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse, commented: "Building on nearly four years of Multiverse training, Nottingham City Council's latest cohort is taking the next step in digital skills development: AI literacy. These are key credentials that will further empower the council to deliver tangible benefits to their residents, from community services to transportation, while enriching the careers of their teams."

The partnership with Multiverse is expected to help the council close skills gaps across its workforce by providing advanced AI and technology tuition. Multiverse, which has worked with more than 1,500 organisations in the US and UK, offers apprenticeships across age groups and career stages to boost data, tech, and AI skills.

The financial and practical support from Capital One and Enterprise contributes to the council's ongoing efforts to enhance operational efficiency and public service delivery using technology-led approaches.