Multiverse supports Microsoft’s commitment to skill 1M people on AI

Tech company Multiverse, which has recently introduced powerful AI capabilities across its offerings, will launch the AI-Powered Productivity apprenticeship, the UK’s first accredited apprenticeship to fully embed Microsoft 365 Copilot. This program is eligible for public funding via the apprenticeship levy. The skilling of the wider workforce in AI tools is a crucial step to ensuring the productivity benefits are widely felt across the economy.

Research by Multiverse has found that more than half of workers (51%) have received fewer than 5 hours’ training on AI. 63% of tech leaders say the biggest blocker to further AI investment is their teams’ inability to fully use existing AI technology.

The apprenticeship will see learners develop the skills to boost their output at work by using Microsoft 365 Copilot, while understanding the ethical and data protection implications of using AI. It will be delivered using Multiverse’s measured, applied, guided, and equitable approach, which incorporates personalised, on-the-job learning to maximise business impact. The programme is suitable for a wide range of roles and levels of experience.

Launched in 2023, Microsoft 365 Copilot embeds generative AI into Microsoft’s suite of productivity apps – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, OneDrive – to unleash creativity, unlock productivity, and uplevel skills.

Microsoft expanded its skilling program Get On – established in 2020 to empower 1.5 million individuals with tech skills by 2025 – with the added aim of equipping 1 million more people with the AI skills ranging from AI fluency to technical and business transformation.

Microsoft UK CEO, Darren Hardman, said: “To fully capitalise on AI's economic potential and drive growth, we must equip people with the necessary knowledge and tools. By investing in AI skilling, we not only enhance our own capabilities but also drive innovation and productivity across the entire economy.

“The AI-powered Productivity apprenticeship from Multiverse is a great example of a programme that places AI and Microsoft 365 Copilot at the heart of building the skills for the future. We are excited to see the impact of this programme on the future workforce.”

The UK’s first edtech unicorn, Multiverse, is a tech company that identifies, closes and prevents skills gaps, through personalised, on-the-job learning, and is one of the world’s largest apprenticeship providers.

AI-Powered Productivity joins a suite of AI apprenticeships launched by Multiverse, including AI for Business Value and Transformative Leadership, targeted at individuals across every age and every stage of a business.

Multiverse has trained people at 1,500 organisations including the NHS, KPMG, and Capita.

Multiverse CEO, Euan Blair, said: “We know that Gen AI will unlock a surge of productivity in UK businesses, but it requires a combination of the right tools and the right skills to be successful.

“That’s why businesses that want to win in the AI age must make a deliberate effort to upskill and reskill workers with what they need to harness this opportunity. We’re taking market-leading tools like Microsoft Copilot and empowering workers to drive real outcomes using them.

“Not only will it enable businesses to get the best out of AI, but it’ll also set individuals up with the skills to drive their careers for years to come.”

Businesses and organisations can enrol their employees onto the programme, where they will cover modules on AI technologies, prompt engineering, data privacy, and tool utilisation. Participants will learn to measure the impact of AI on their roles, advocate for its use in the workplace, and follow ethical practices.

Employers will be able to fund the programme fully from their Apprenticeship Levy, an additional payroll tax, which is ringfenced for apprenticeship training. The Levy is currently set at 0.5% of an employer’s annual pay bill and applicable to employers with an annual pay bill of over £3 million.