Partner Article

North East workforce specialist puts its own staff through AI apprenticeship

North East recruitment, apprenticeship and workforce development organisation We Are Zenith has put its own team through the AI apprenticeship it delivers to employers, with staff reporting time savings of up to eight hours a week.

Three members of the Zenith team, working across recruitment, marketing and client relationships, have completed the Level 3 Digital Support Technician apprenticeship with an AI pathway. None of them were AI experts before starting.

Marketing Assistant Jasmine Scott uses AI every day and estimates it saves her around eight hours a week. While learning a new role, she has used it to get to grips with new programmes and apps, and to build web pages, from exploring ideas for layout and content to working through the build step by step. It has also changed her day-to-day work. Writing blogs and email campaigns is now much quicker, with AI helping her generate ideas and get a first draft down so she can focus on tailoring them to Zenith's audience.

She said: "Things that we get asked for that could have taken hours are now a lot quicker. AI isn't going anywhere, so getting a step ahead and having a qualification is something really niche right now."

Client Relationship Manager Steven Welsh uses Microsoft Copilot to produce first drafts of emails and content, which he then personalises. He says the main benefit has been the time it frees up to work with employers.

He said: "It gives me more opportunity to have meaningful conversations with employers and provide them with more information about the opportunities, support and training available to them. This programme helped me understand how to use AI in a practical way. It's given me skills that save time, improve productivity, and help me have more informed conversations with employers."

Senior Recruitment Consultant Faye Turner now uses an AI agent that sources suitable candidates from LinkedIn based on a job description, saving her around two hours.

All three have since been approached by colleagues for help using AI in their own roles, spreading the skills more widely across the business.

The team said balancing the apprenticeship alongside a full-time role was the biggest challenge, and Zenith is encouraging employers to protect apprentices' off-the-job learning time to get the most from the programme.

Paul Smissen, Director at We Are Zenith, said: "We ask employers to invest in their people, so it was only right that we did the same with our own team. AI is changing how every business works, and we wanted our staff to be confident using it in their day-to-day roles, not just talking about it. Putting them through the apprenticeship has given us first-hand insight into what the programme involves, from the practical skills to the challenge of fitting learning around a busy job. That means when we speak to employers, we're not just recommending something we deliver. We're recommending something we've seen work in our own business."

Employers interested in upskilling their own teams can find out more about the Level 3 AI apprenticeship, including who it's suitable for, how it's delivered and how it could be funded, by contacting Georgia on georgia@we-are-zenith.com.

About We Are Zenith
We Are Zenith is a North East recruitment, apprenticeship and workforce development organisation that helps businesses recruit, develop and retain their people. Recruitment & Training | North East England — We Are Zenith

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by We Are Zenith .