Learning where to apply AI is critical for training to deliver productivity

There is no shortage of ambition in the UK’s skills system. The government’s commitment to provide free AI training to 10 million workers by 2030, roughly a third of the workforce, signals a clear intent to position the UK as a leader in AI adoption. At a time when AI is already reshaping how organisations operate, building baseline capability across the workforce is an important and necessary step.

However, knowing how to use AI is only part of the picture. Knowing where to apply it is what drives real impact. As someone working closely with employers on AI adoption and workforce development, the disconnect between training and real-world application is becoming increasingly clear. 

Much of the current focus is on access, how many people can be trained, how quickly, and at what scale. While that matters, access alone does not translate into improved performance. Free AI training on its own will not deliver productivity. It needs to be grounded in applied intelligence.

Across the sector, there is growing recognition that skills provision needs to be more closely aligned to economic outcomes rather than curriculum delivery alone. The question is shifting from how many people we can train to what that training actually enables organisations to do differently. 

This is the challenge. It is not simply about the availability of AI training, but the lack of employer demand, often driven by an unclear understanding of how AI delivers tangible business value.

Most organisations are not looking for training on its own. They are looking for results — how to work more effectively, increase output and reduce inefficiency. Training only matters when it connects directly to those priorities.

Applying AI Skills

The government’s proposed training rightly focuses on teaching people how to use AI tools, which is essential. But it is just as important to help people and organisations understand where AI should be applied, so it delivers real productivity gains and is used safely and ethically.

A simple way to think about it is learning to drive. Mastering the controls is one thing. Real skill comes from understanding the road, the conditions, and when it is appropriate to drive.

Apprenticeships provide an ideal way to bring these elements together. Our AI apprenticeships embed on-the-job training through productivity use cases, proof of concept projects, enabling employees to use AI in ways that directly benefit their organisation.

This complements our off-the-job training in AI tools, by showing both employers and employees how AI delivers value in practice, while also supporting safe, secure responsible use.

The Gap Between Training and Application

Current training models do not always bridge this gap. Programmes such as the AI Skills Hub are designed to build confidence in using tools for everyday tasks, which is a useful starting point. However, knowing how to use a tool is not the same as understanding where it should be applied to deliver value.

Despite growing investment, many organisations are still at an early stage of adoption, with only 16% of UK businesses currently using AI technologies, according to a recent government-commissioned study. The challenge is rarely access to tools or courses but identifying where AI can genuinely improve how work is done. Without that clarity, it risks becoming disconnected from the realities of day-to-day work.

Why AI Needs Context

Much of the AI training currently available focuses on tools, features and prompting techniques. On their own, these do not deliver value.

Without context, they can create a false sense of capability and, in some cases, lead to inefficient or inappropriate use. AI for the sake of AI will not work.

What is needed instead is a shift towards applied intelligence, where AI is grounded in real use cases, aligned to specific roles and focused on improving how work is done. Using a tool does not make someone effective, knowing how and when to apply it does.

Start with the Outcome

The organisations seeing the most benefit from AI are not starting with technology.

The starting point is the outcome, focusing on where effort is being wasted, how processes break down, and what better performance would look like in practice. From there, they work backwards, defining the outcome first and then building the capability required to achieve it.

This approach changes the role of training. Rather than being the starting point, it becomes a means to deliver a clearly defined result.

The Capability Already Exists

There is also a tendency to assume that AI capability needs to be brought in from outside.

In many cases, this is not necessary. The people who understand the business best are already there, with a clear view of where processes break down and where improvements can be made.

Many organisations continue to look externally for solutions when the most immediate opportunity already exists within their own workforce.

When employees are supported to apply AI in their day-to-day roles, the impact is often immediate. Work becomes more efficient; decision-making improves and output increases. Crucially, these improvements are more likely to be sustained because they are embedded within existing ways of working rather than introduced as an external layer.

What Success Should Look Like

If this national ambition is to succeed, we need to be clear about what success actually looks like.

It is not defined by course completions or certificates, but by whether organisations perform better as a result. That means becoming more competitive, more adaptable, and better positioned to grow, with people who are more effective in their roles.

What Happens Next

The UK has taken an important first step by expanding access to AI skills. The next phase will determine whether that ambition translates into real impact. It requires a shift in focus, away from access alone and towards application, productivity and outcomes.

AI on its own does not transform a business. When applied in context by people who understand the organisation and the work, it becomes a powerful driver of growth.

The ambition is there. Now it needs to be delivered in practice.

By Mo Isap OBE, CEO of IN4 Group