The Multiverse blog

It is part of a drive from the energy provider to boost data efficiency, increase insight and invest in its people.

The average team member within EDF’s Retail division spends more than 25 hours a week working with data, and the programme aims to empower colleagues to use that time more effectively.

The training will be delivered by Multiverse, a tech company delivering high-quality education and training through applied learning. Multiverse has trained more than 11,000 apprentices in data and digital skills since 2016.

Apprentices have enrolled on one of two Multiverse programmes. The 15-month Data Fellowship programme delivers best-in-class training in advanced data analysis capabilities, giving apprentices the skills to clean, analyse and model data and tell data stories to non-specialists.

The degree-level Advanced Data Fellowship will empower apprentices to become leaders in data analysis and data science. Apprentices will build core capabilities in areas like statistical testing, data ethics, predictive modelling as well as data security - and will graduate with a BSc degree at the end of their programme.

Lillian Phillip, Senior Leader of Commercial Operations at EDF, said: “Investing in data skills is pivotal for navigating the dynamic landscape in the energy sector, mirroring EDF’s commitment in helping the UK decarbonise to reach Net Zero.

“I’m so pleased we are launching this Data Academy as it focuses on experienced team members, reinforcing many of their self-taught data skills within a trusted framework. By embracing continuous learning and skill enhancement, we are investing in people’s careers, but also driving transformative change, shaping a future powered by data-driven insights helping our customers save cash and carbon.”

Peppa Wise, Vice President of Go-To-Market at Multiverse, said: "The most forward-thinking organisations recognise the need to anticipate future skills needs and actively invest to build those skills in-house. The EDF Data Academy is designed to deliver efficiencies and advanced data analytics, and in turn enhanced service for their customers. It’s great to see this commitment to learning and development that will ultimately benefit both the team at EDF, the business, and their customers."

Searchlight is a talent intelligence platform that uses AI to help companies close their skills gaps.

It was founded in 2018 by Anna and Kerry Wang. As twin sisters who not only look similar in person but also on paper with experiences at Stanford, Google, and McKinsey, they were motivated to create a world where people are understood for their unique skills and matched to the right companies. The Stanford graduates started their journey with Y Combinator, and have since been recognized by Forbes 30 under 30 and raised funding from venture capital funds Founders Fund and Accel.

AI technology

What first drew us to Searchlight was the proprietary AI technology they’d developed to assess both the skills that individuals have, and the skills that companies need.

We know, from working with more than 1,000 organizations globally, that leaders want to maximise the benefits that technology can bring to their teams. We’ve been working to help them bridge the gap between the digital transformation they want to see, and the essential skills required to unlock it.

The technology that Searchlight brings will enable us to turbo-charge our ability to bring digital transformation to even more companies, of all sizes: giving people the right skills to be successful in their careers, and deliver value to their organizations.

They’ll also bring an exceptionally talented team, who we can’t wait to start working with!

A shared mission

Co-Founder and CEO of Searchlight, Kerry Wang, said: “We founded Searchlight to help companies build winning teams equitably and help individuals land meaningful work. From the moment I met the Multiverse team, it was clear that we share complementary goals and have been solving similar problems. By joining forces we can apply Searchlight’s tech and expertise at scale with some of the world’s largest companies, effectively becoming the workforce development platform of the future.”

Co-Founder and CTO of Searchlight, Anna Wang, said: “Over the past six years, Searchlight has built custom data pipelines and proprietary, ethical AI models that understand talent holistically and predict the skills necessary for business success. Merging Searchlight’s existing AI and skills expertise with Multiverse’s rich data offers an unparalleled opportunity: together we will become the leader in leveraging AI for skills development.”

Founder and CEO of Multiverse, Euan Blair, said: “After meeting Anna and Kerry and digging into the Searchlight product, I was really excited at how they were using AI to spot patterns and identify skilling solutions both within and outside of the workforce. Most companies are on a journey of tech transformation and they want to do it in a way that is both equitable and effective. What often holds them back is the gap between the transformation they want to see, and the skills that will unlock it.

“Searchlight’s AI, platform, and exceptional talent will allow us to better diagnose the skills needed within companies and deliver impactful solutions. Combining our scale and world-class learning with Searchlight’s technology and team will ensure even more companies and individuals benefit.”

Applications are now open via the Multiverse website.

AWE’s mission is to support the defence and security of the UK, through developing, manufacturing and maintaining the warheads for the UK’s nuclear deterrent. AWE also provides unique skills and expertise to support the UK’s counter terrorism and nuclear threat reduction activities.

This new programme joins thousands of apprenticeships that AWE has created covering a broad spectrum of professional skills from Engineering to Project Management.

Successful apprentices will be given an exciting and unique opportunity to get involved in work that is critically important to help keep our country safe and secure.

Vacancies are currently open in Reading for apprentices. There are no grade requirements, and those without a university degree are encouraged to apply. It is hoped that the apprenticeship opportunities will draw in candidates from a range of backgrounds, including reaching socioeconomically disadvantaged young people and creating access to an in-demand career.

Over the 15-month apprenticeship, apprentices will gain skills in data wrangling and analysis techniques. The programme also covers data science, including Python and an introduction to machine learning.

The training will be delivered by tech company Multiverse, which has created more than 15,000 apprenticeships in the UK and US. Multiverse apprentices receive access to on-demand coaching, personalised learning, and an active community where they can learn from peers and grow their network.

Mandy Savage, Executive Director of Engineering at AWE, said: “We always strive to be an exceptional employer, and as part of that we want to ensure we’re reaching people from all backgrounds, and giving them access to world-class training and an impactful career.”

Peppa Wise, Vice President Go to Market at Multiverse, said: “AWE has created outstanding opportunities in Reading for those at the start of their careers to learn new skills and get straight into a vital and exciting job defending the UK. Not only will apprentices gain the most in-demand skills to enhance their careers, but AWE will benefit from the new skills and thinking that apprentices can bring to the organisation.”

Online learning is growing in popularity. Research by the Oxford Learning College found that 78.2% of e-learning students "would recommend e-learning to someone else." Meanwhile, the UK's online education market continues to grow at pace.

Not only is online learning rising in popularity, but it can also help you develop technical job skills that are critical to career success. A recent Microsoft study revealed 82% of UK jobs already require digital skills and that 69% of leaders feel their organisation suffers from a digital skills gap.

To stay professionally competitive — now and in the future — upskilling or reskilling in durable tech skills through online training could be the solution.

The advantages of free online training

Why consider online training to build a more resilient career? There are plenty of reasons to give online training a look — if you haven’t already. But we think these four reasons in particular are key.

Affordability

The first advantage is right there in the name: Free online training is affordable. Unlike paid-for online classes and boot camps, you don't need to self-fund the programme. You also don't need to quit your job to complete the course. So not only will you save money, but you'll continue to earn money as you improve your existing skills or learn new ones.

Flexibility

The second advantage is flexibility. Because your instructor will deliver the training (or share course materials) online, you can complete the learning around any existing commitments.

Variety

The third advantage is variety. When you choose to learn for free online, you can access various courses across multiple industries. From upskilling in tech to reskilling in business, an array of free training courses are available online.

Accessibility

The fourth advantage is accessibility. There's no cost barrier, no strict scheduling requirements, and you can complete the training from anywhere. Plus, there's likely a course available for your existing industry or an industry you'd like to enter. As a result, free online training is accessible by nature.

How to find the best free online courses

Here's how to search for and evaluate the best free online training courses:

Course content

You likely have a specific end goal in mind for your online training. So, the first thing you should assess is the course's content. Specifically, ask yourself, "Does this course cover the topics and skills I need to know to achieve my goals?"

Let's say your end goal is progressing from your current role as a Junior Data Analyst to a Senior Data Analyst. To achieve this, your Manager has recommended improving your artificial intelligence (AI) skills. In this case, you'll need to find online training with course content covering AI skills.

Instructor credentials

When evaluating the quality of a free online training course, take instructor credentials into account. To start, you'll want to learn from someone who is an expert in their field.

Depending on the course, you'll also need to learn from an instructor who has the right level of credentials to begin with. Otherwise, you might not be able to obtain an accredited qualification.

Certification

An accredited qualification might not be necessary if you want to take a short online training course to improve in a specific area. However, a formal qualification is sometimes required if you have a specific career goal. Some roles require a particular accreditation, for example. In that case, double-check that you'll earn any accredited qualifications you need to reach your goals.

Peer reviews

You can learn a lot about free online courses based on what people who've taken the training say about it. To find out what others say about their experiences—positive or negative — check course reviews and testimonials.

At Multiverse, we share learner testimonials and reviews throughout our website. You can see this in action on our AI for Business Value training course page. We also share learner success stories via our blog.

Top platforms offering free training courses

From Coursera to our own offerings here at Multiverse, we discuss some of the top platforms providing free training courses online.

Coursera

Coursera is an online learning platform that offers training in many areas, from data science to arts and humanities. When it comes to free training, Coursera offers courses in tech. However, these options might not come with accredited and industry-recognised qualifications.

edX

edX offers free courses in a range of study areas, including the arts, science, and mindfulness training. Although you can view most edX courses for free, you must be a student registered in the paid verified track to gain a certificate of completion.

Udemy

Udemy offers free courses in multiple areas, including tech, personal growth and wellness. The free courses can range from 30 minutes to over four hours. Still, they're typically not as in-depth as Udemy's paid courses.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy provides free training in areas like maths, art, biology, and computer programming. The platform caters to various levels, from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to Further Education (FE). Khan Academy also offers online "life skills" courses that apply to most people. That said, in the platform's own words:

"Khan Academy is not an accredited school, and work done on the site does not count towards a diploma or degree program. Khan Academy is best used as a supplement to your normal schooling..."

Multiverse

Multiverse provides high-quality apprenticeship programmes that combine work, training, and community. We focus on developing skills for the future, so our programmes cover the digital, tech and business industries. Courses cover various topics, from business operations to data science and software engineering.

Because we specialise in specific areas, we attract the best coaches and trainers who are experts in their field. We partner with your employer to make our courses tuition-free for learners, so you can develop critical skills at no cost. Upon completion, you'll also gain an industry-recognised and accredited qualification.

Key areas of learning available for free online

Let's break down some of the different categories of free training available online.

• Technology: You'll find courses in data analysis, machine learning (ML) and software engineering under the technology banner. However, you can also find short courses covering specific coding elements or even how to use certain software and tools.
• Business and entrepreneurship: Business and entrepreneurship are broad subject areas. That means you'll find a mixture of niche and more generalised courses. For example, at Multiverse, we offer an AI-Powered Productivity programme combining AI tech, prompting, and data to help busy professionals scale their productivity and take back their time at work. However, there are also more general training courses available online. Some platforms offer training in general business skills (like communication and negotiation) and even how to start a business.
• Science: Biology, chemistry, and physics are all examples of science subjects. However, you can also find free online training in multidisciplinary fields like data science. Data science incorporates methods — including the scientific method — from different disciplines.
• Creative arts: Online training in the creative arts can cover anything from theoretical courses about Asian art and storytelling to more practical courses. Photography, digital painting, or pattern making are examples of more hand-ons courses in the creative arts.
• Humanities: The humanities typically include subjects related to human society and culture. (So the study of languages, literature, the arts, history, or philosophy.)

Tips for staying motivated and engaged

It's easy to feel demotivated when you see everything you need to do to get from A to B in its entirety. Instead, try breaking down your learning journey into manageable steps by setting learning goals. Simply put, these are specific, measurable milestones for your learning.

Setting yourself a deadline for completing assignments or learning specific theories are examples of learning goals. Depending on the course, your coach or instructor can help you structure your learning goals in line with your learning needs and the course itself.

Once you have your learning goals, creating a study schedule will help you complete them around your existing commitments. Even something simple in a spreadsheet, using your email calendar, or a physical weekly planner will help you plan, visualise and stick to your schedule.

Completing online training can sometimes feel isolating. When you feel isolated, it can impact your motivation, but participating in course forums can help. If your training provider has course forums or a learning community, you can speak to others who are completing the same course.

The Multiverse Community is an example of this in action. Through this powerful network of apprentices and alumni, members can inspire each other and learn new career skills as they progress through their training.

Success story: Transformations through free online training

Online training has helped countless professionals — both entry-level and experienced — gain the vital skills they need to take the next step in their careers.

One such example is Multiverse apprentice Jeffrey Owusu. Owusu was promoted to a senior management role during his apprenticeship and helped his colleagues improve their productivity.

"I was able to improve not only what I was doing, but also make the lives of my coworkers easier," Owusu says.

Pro tip: If you've already completed an apprenticeship and want to explore progression routes, consider creating a Multiverse apprenticeship profile. If you're eligible, a member of our team can then discuss apprenticeship levels and opportunities with you.

Certifications and recognitions: Do they matter?

Do nationally and industry-recognised certifications matter? Yes and no. It really depends on your goals.

For example, if you want to complete a short online course for personal reasons (like learning the basics of data analysis to track advanced footballing metrics as a hobby), certification doesn't matter so much. But if after completing your short course, you realise you enjoy wrangling data so much that you want to elevate your current career trajectory to work with it more, then certification becomes crucial.

For the latter, a tuition-free Data Fellowship apprenticeship with online training elements will help you garner the skills you need to use data in the workplace. Aside from hands-on work experience upon completion, you'll also gain a Level 4 apprenticeship standard in Data Analytics. An industry-recognised certification like this will help you stand out in future job searches and progress within your tech career.

Future trends in online learning

It's hard to predict the future, but it seems like the future's already here in many respects. According to Oxford Learning College, "Almost half (49%) of e-learning students said that if an online course had a VR element, it would encourage them to sign up." It's no wonder then, that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) courses are already on the horizon.

Microlearning, a less futuristic online learning trend but arguably more applicable to most learners, is also on the rise. Microlearning breaks down educational content into smaller, more digestible chunks. This bite-sized learning typically takes place in three—to five-minute intervals.

Given that research shows microlearning helps learners stay engaged, finish lessons faster, and increase knowledge retention, its growing popularity isn't surprising.

Aside from virtual reality (VR) courses and microlearning, the increasing credibility of online credentials is another rising trend. This increase is likely due to the fact that so much of our life and work takes place online now. So why should learning be any different? The advantages that we discussed earlier (flexibility, variety and accessibility) also help to improve the credibility of online training.

How to leverage free online training for career advancement

Maybe you want to advance in an existing career, or perhaps you'd like to pivot and start a new career entirely. Either way, the knowledge and skills gained from free online courses can help you achieve your goals. Let's explore each, starting with how to advance in an existing career through upskilling.

We'll return to an earlier example: You want to progress from Junior to Senior Data Analyst. Your Line Manager recommended improving your AI skills as a first step.

To demonstrate your commitment, you complete a short, free online AI training course. You then update your Line Manager, who recommends you for a tuition-free Advanced Data Fellowship programme. As a result of the training, you enhance your skill set and take on new responsibilities. Midway through the programme, your Line Manager promotes you from Junior to Senior Data Analyst.

Conclusion: the endless possibilities of free online training

83% of UK businesses say technology advancements have increased the need for new skills in the workforce. As a result, we cannot overstate the career value of completing high-quality free training courses online.

Whether you use the training to get a foot in the door of a new career path or to progress in an existing one, there's never been a better time to learn new tech skills. Contact us today to learn how Multiverse can help you take the next step in your career, for free.

The Gender Pay Gap explained

First - some technical bits. The gender pay gap is the difference in the average hourly wage of all men and women across a workforce. The gender pay gap is not the same as unequal pay which is paying men and women differently for performing the same (or similar) work. Unequal pay is illegal and has been in the UK since 1970.

At Multiverse, we welcome people of all gender identities and expressions. HMRC specifies that Gender Pay Gap data sets should only include people who identify as a man or woman, and do not currently include non-binary individuals. So for the purposes of this report, we have aligned with these guidelines, despite this approach not being in line with our internal practices.

Sharing our data

As a reminder, this data is retrospective and looks at the gender pay gap at Multiverse between 5th April 2022 - 5th April 2023.

In the UK, Multiverse’s mean gender pay gap was 11%. The mean is the average pay of women and men. On average, the pay of a man at Multiverse was 11% higher than the pay of a woman.

Multiverse’s median pay gap was 7%. The median compares the midpoints in the ranges of women's and men’s pay. At Multiverse, the median man had pay 7% higher than the median woman.

While our mean gender pay gap was lower than the average for UK tech (16%), as a mission-driven organisation, we know the job here is never done. In this post, we’ll share the details behind the data and what we’re doing to improve.

Explaining our data

Our gender pay gap increased in 2023 compared with our 2022 results because our business, and who we hire, is changing. Our investments in technology mean we are hiring more people from areas traditionally dominated by men, particularly sales and software engineering. This means we are colliding with the systemic issues Multiverse exists to solve.

According to the Tech Talent Charter 'Diversity in Tech' report, women make up 29% of the UK tech industry. At Multiverse in 2023, 35% of our Tech team (Engineering, Product and Data & Insight) were women. In 2022, we reported that 31% of our Tech team were women. This year-over-year improved gender representation highlights our commitment to attracting and sourcing diverse candidates, equitable interview practices, and employee retention strategies.

We will continue to focus on increasing the gender diversity in our engineering and product teams. These roles are some of the highest paid in the industry, so with efforts to hire more women into these teams, we should see our pay gap start to close.

Another contributing factor to our gender pay gap was that we saw a decrease in women at “Director” and above levels. Representation at these levels changed from 69% women in April 2022 to 58% in April 2023. We also saw representation of men at our “Principal” level change from 36% to 47% during this time period.

To understand this data better, we can look at how women’s and men’s pay was distributed. To calculate this, we have split all of our team members into pay quartiles and worked out the proportion of men and women in each quartile. Overall, we have more men in our highest paid roles and more women in our lowest paid roles.

Gender breakdown by pay quartile

At the time of reporting, just over half of Multiverse employees received a bonus: 55% of women and 50% of men. Multiverse’s mean gender bonus gap was 34%. This means that on average, the bonus of a man at Multiverse was 34% higher than the bonus of a woman.

The median gender bonus gap was 11%.This means, the median man at Multiverse had a bonus 11% higher than the median woman.The large difference between the mean and median reflects the irregular distribution of bonuses, including some outliers. Effectively a small number of men received proportionally larger bonuses.

The reason behind our gender bonus gap was because Multiverse’s highest bonus receivers were in our Sales team, and at the very top of the scale in this team, women were underrepresented. Additionally, Multiverse employees choose whether to progress their careers as individual contributors or move into management roles.Many of our top performers in Sales who are women choose the management pathway - this is great, as we want more women in leadership overseeing male dominated areas, as it will hopefully encourage the next generation of women to join these professions.

However, as the bonus structure is different for a manager role compared to an individual contributor, this had an accelerating impact on our gender bonus gap.

Our US team data

Gender pay disparities are a global problem, and as a global organisation, we believe it’s important to voluntarily share the gender pay gap for our US team, even though this is not a government requirement. On the snapshotreporting date of 5 April 2023, we had 138 employees in the US.

In the US, Multiverse’s mean gender pay gap was -8%. This means that on average, the pay of a woman at Multiverse in the US was 8% higher than the pay of a man.

Our median gender pay gap was 5%, this means the median man at Multiverse in the US had pay 5% higher than the median woman.

Our approach to gender equality

We’ve been committed to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace since we were founded in 2016. We have a number of initiatives in place to ensure that equity is at the forefront of our People strategy, and we’ll continue to prioritize this work to improve our gender pay gap for the future.

• Pay philosophy - A pay philosophy is the strategic approach that guides an organisation on how to attract, retain, motivate, and reward employees. This philosophy is the guiding force behind all compensation decisions and we have a number of principles in place to ensure our approach is holistic and equitable. One of our principles is transparency. Pay transparency is beneficial both to the organization - in the consistent and equitable application of our pay practices - and to our employees by giving them insight into their position and what their future career path looks like. Pay transparency is a journey, not a sprint, and we’ve been progressing on our journey over the last 18 months. So far, we have created consistent pay bands and managers have communicated to their direct reports what their pay band is, where they sit in the band and how this has been calculated. We’re continuing to progress with this work and are moving towards even greater transparency.
• Inclusive hiring practices - We have recently launched a new hiring framework and interviewer training module to ensure that consistency and inclusivity are at the heart of our hiring process. We also actively partner with a number of organisations for underrepresented communities, including Black Young Professionals (BYP) Network and Flexa, to improve the diversity of our talent pool. Specifically in sales and engineering, we’re focused on attracting and sourcing candidates from a diversity of backgrounds, as we know that these roles have been traditionally dominated by men.
• Leadership development - For us, it's essential to create equitable opportunities for progression for team members from backgrounds currently underrepresented in our leadership teams. We run a 12-month Leadership Accelerator programme that offers mentorship, sponsorship and coaching to support Multiverse employees who hit specific demographic criteria, on their leadership journey. We’ve had two successful cohorts of this programme and we’re looking forward to launching the 3rd cohort soon!
• Equitable performance reviews - We believe that having our eyes open to potential bias in the system is critical to creating equitable outcomes. We have therefore introduced a structured performance appraisal process, with clear expectations and calibration across teams. By applying rigour to this process, we are able to make more accurate decisions for all employees regarding their pay, performance and progression.

Conclusion

While reporting our gender pay gap for the 2022-2023 tax year provides an important moment for us to reflect, our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are a critical part of every day life at Multiverse. As a mission-driven organisation, we’re striving to provide equitable access to opportunities for everyone - and this work will never be done.

We’re already a way into the Multiverse story, and today we turn the page to an exciting new chapter. But, before you make an assumption based on the blog title, this isn’t the chapter that’s all pictures and no words.

Today we’re unveiling an update to our brand. We’re not changing our name, we’re still Multiverse - just with a refreshed visual identity and a renewed vigour to provide equitable access to economic opportunity, for everyone.

We could spend hours walking you through what’s changed, but if a picture paints a thousand words then we’re confident this video will do the talking.

Design lovers, this section is for you.

Our in-house creative team started this project to create a distinct and robust, yet easy-to-use design system that could flex across the entire Multiverse ecosystem. By collaborating with our learning and product teams (and supported by some talented design friends) the output will help us better communicate with our apprentices, our business partners and all our stakeholders.

Our new design system has been built around some of our signature brand elements and you’ll see this is simply an evolution, not a revolution.

Whilst our logo remains the same, we’ve dialled up the use of our signature (Ultraviolet) introduced a more accessible colour palette, streamlined our typography and doubled down on what makes us unique.

We’ve also introduced a playful illustration style to reflect the diversity and creativity of the team that makes Multiverse so unique. We live and breathe our values and don’t see the need to take ourselves too seriously.

What you see today is a look through the keyhole of how our brand and digital ecosystem will evolve over the coming years. We want you to come on this journey with us as we build a learning platform that’s led by people, powered by data and supercharged by tech.

Today, we’re setting a new course for our brand, for Multiverse and for work in general. If you’re inspired by what you’ve just read and what we’re building, take a look at some of our open roles.

Hosted by Multiverse royalty Sarah Olubunmi - Product Manager, panelists for this discussion were Chloe Barker - Head of Governance, Hilary Cymrot - Director of Coach Enablement and Crystal Williams - Business Development Representative. They each drew from their extensive personal experiences in the workplace, sharing stories, helpful insights, and valuable nuggets of advice.

Chloe: The art of balancing work and life

Kicking things off, Chloe offered a refreshing viewpoint on the hot topic of work-life balance. Drawing from her experiences, she sees work-life balance as a critical skill for achieving work success - rather than a wishful luxury. In her own words, she says, "It's about developing the right mindset and skills.” She further emphasized how balance doesn’t just relate to managing time, but also involves handling different responsibilities. She says, “Work life balance also involves asking yourself questions like ‘Am I the only one who can do this?’ If the answer is no, you should delegate."

Chloe advocates nurturing resilience, actively seeking assistance when needed, and embracing an efficient mindset as the key to successfully juggling professional and personal lives. Chloe’s feedback was especially stand-out for soon-to-be parents in attendance, with Chloe herself only recently returning from Maternity Leave.

Hilary: Confidence and the importance of personal values

"How do I make sure that I am being strong and standing in my power in my own light." Hilary’s discussion centred around the importance of being self-assured and driven by personal values, especially in leadership positions. Ask yourself, she shared, "What is the spirit of the thing that I care about? What do I deeply believe?". If you can answer that and stand up for it, it will give you confidence in yourself, in the room and throughout your career.

Hilary shared a practical tip for bringing this to life when facing a challenging conversation at work: write down on a piece of paper ahead of the conversation “This aligns with my beliefs because of X or Y” to centre the conversation around your personal values. This advice aligns well with another favourite quote from the panel; “women can do hard things!”

Hilary also shared an interesting perspective on the infamous ‘fake it 'til you make it’ catchphrase. Hilary believes instead that there’s power and confidence in saying “I don’t know but I’ll find out”. We don’t need to have all the answers in order to be a successful and inspiring leader.

Crystal: Staying authentic and trusting your gut

Finally, Crystal offered insightful advice on dealing with the societal pressures faced by women in the workplace whilst staying true to oneself. Crystal believes women should never consider diluting their self-worth or accepting anything less than what they are due. With conviction, she said, "First and foremost, you've got to know yourself. And regardless of a yes or a no, a win or a failure, you're still going to be you at the end of the day." This was particularly poignant in Crystal’s experience of working in Sales when you often have to deal with rejection.

Crystal also shared advice about trusting your intuition. In her experience, this isn’t just a gut feeling that comes from nowhere, your intuition is a highly calibrated and experienced feeling that we develop and refine over time - just like any other skill.

Encouragement for women trailblazers

The discussion concluded on a high note with each of our panelists encouraging women to embrace and showcase their unique strengths and talents. A resounding message was for women to treat themselves with the same empathy and support they extend to others. Chloe summed it up eloquently, "We so often lead others with kindness and we lead ourselves with cruelty." Let’s replace this pattern with compassion towards ourselves.

True success in the workplace lies at the intersection of personal and professional balance, staying authentic and aligned to your values, and accepting yourself wholeheartedly. Each speaker at the panel discussion shared this in their own unique ways.

Here's to all the women who are carving their own paths and setting new benchmarks. As we pay homage to women's contributions during Women’s History Month, let’s pledge to be more understanding, supportive, and encouraging towards one another. Together, we can shape a more diverse and inclusive future.

Employees taking part in the academy will develop skills including data analytics, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and predictive modelling. Multiverse will deliver the high-quality education and training programme through applied learning.

Two different apprenticeships will be available to Equans employees - Data Literacy and Data Fellowship, with an initial programme focussed on 75 staff. The 13-month Data Literacy programme covers core technical skills required to transform data into business insights. The 15-month Data Fellowship programme delivers best-in-class training in advanced data analysis capabilities, giving apprentices the skills to clean, analyse and model data, and tell data stories to non-specialists.

Equans’ investment into these apprenticeships aims to improve the use of data to drive efficiency in production, and identify opportunities to reduce carbon emissions.

These two new programmes further strengthen Equans’ commitment to its employees through training and development opportunities. Across the UK, Equans already has more than 500 apprentices, ranging in age between 16 and 70, working across a wide variety of disciplines.

James Graham, Divisional CEO of Digital & Energy Services at Equans UK & Ireland, commented: “The Equans Digital & Energy Services Data Academy is designed to further equip our teams with essential data skills for today's digital work environment, fostering efficiency and data-driven decision-making.

“Data is a strategic asset for us, and so it is vital that we have the internal resource skilled to extract the value from it. The aim is to have the capability across the business to turn data into insights that can help drive decision making.

“With better ability to use digital tools, we expect team members to see an average time saving of six hours per week: empowering them to do more meaningful work. This training won’t just enhance the participants ability to do their job, but it will drive forward their careers with new skills.”

By partnering with Multiverse, apprentices benefit from coaching with an industry expert and are supported by a thriving community with events, socials, mentoring and leadership programmes.

Euan Blair, CEO at Multiverse said: "When you look at the pace of technological change today, businesses and individuals have to be incredibly intentional about how they invest in and develop their workforces. Equans have recognised this, and by rolling out data training in partnership with Multiverse they're not only empowering their people with enhanced, in-demand skills: they're also advancing their ability as a business to adapt and deliver for customers."

As the hype starts to settle, they’re actively seeking practical ways to turn AI advancements into business value.

But there’s a problem: a significant skills gap sits between the promise and the reality of AI. According to a recent survey by Multiverse, 65% of business leaders expect AI skills gaps to persist into 2030.

Amid a growing list of opportunities and risks, success with AI requires thoughtful and consistent training across multiple teams and departments. With the right approach, closing the AI skills gap is possible.

In our new AI strategy guide, we investigate the key barriers to large-scale AI adoption and share practical strategies to help employees deliver real business value from emerging technologies.
Download the guide now to learn the four steps to start building AI-enabled teams, or read on for the key highlights.

Create an AI policy for safe and ethical use

To ensure success in an AI-driven world, businesses are actively embracing new employee training opportunities — 83% of leaders say they’re moving quickly to implement workforce skills development on AI.

When they’re given the right AI upskilling opportunities, employees can understand how to apply AI in their day-to-day work and discover how to generate real value from new tools.

But it’s important they’re able to learn without exposing your business to risks. Issues related to bias, intellectual property (IP), and data security are just some of the potential pitfalls to be prepared for.

One wrong step by an untrained employee could lead to legal or financial consequences.

That’s where implementing an AI policy can make the difference.

By setting clear standards for the safe and effective use of AI in your workplace, you can create a shared understanding of AI’s limits and prevent employees from intentionally or unintentionally misusing it.

Nurture a culture of active experimentation

While leaders are keen to drive AI adoption from the top down, the fact is that much of the innovation comes from the bottom up. But without the opportunity to use and apply their AI skills, employees can’t unlock its full potential.

With clear guardrails in place, it immediately becomes easier to encourage experimentation with AI. Leaders and line managers can face uncertainties head-on by making it clear that failure is ok, as long as it’s within certain boundaries.

Start by providing dedicated AI training and identifying internal champions to seek out potential use cases — then as employees begin to identify more value from AI, enable them to share their learnings with other teams and departments, through a centralised knowledge sharing process.

Make AI business as usual

The truth is that there’s still no single recipe for success with AI adoption. The best and only way to prepare is to embrace a test-and-learn approach.

To overcome the barriers to adoption and successfully move from talk to action with AI, continuous learning must become part of the fabric of your business.

AI upskilling can help you create a culture where employees across multiple functions know how to prioritise the right opportunities, select the best AI tools for their use case, and communicate the value of AI to the rest of the organisation.

Start generating real value from AI

The time to “wait-and-see” with AI over. To keep your business ahead of the curve, employees must be empowered to identify new opportunities, while staying aware of AI’s potential pitfalls.

Get started today with our free guide to building AI-enabled teams.

AI can unlock business success, jobs, and economic growth that will benefit all of us.

But right now, it’s easy to feel like we spend more time talking about AI than we do using it. Half of UK businesses have still not started to implement any meaningful AI activity.

It’s right to be optimistic about the future that AI can bring, but those words need to be backed up by action. Businesses, teams and individuals need to start rethinking business as usual, bringing in AI tools to supplement their work, automating the tasks that are holding things back.

That requires skills.

Introducing AI for Business Value

Our new AI apprenticeship programme empowers employees to implement action in their organisations. Apprentices will become proficient in AI and learn how to find the areas where it can unlock growth, efficiency and revenue. They’ll work on projects to bring AI into different functions of their business,

The 13-month apprenticeship is called AI for Business Value and combines the business skills needed to be an effective operator with the AI skills needed to drive efficiency and productivity gains.

Apprentices will also learn skills like evaluating AI tools, how to measure the impact of implementing AI and bridge the gap between the business and technical sides of the organisation. Through our AI Jumpstart module, they’ll become power-users of generative AI tools by learning skills like AI ethics and prompt engineering.

Individuals will learn through Multiverse's tried and tested, Ofsted-outstanding delivery model. They'll receive personalised, one-to-one support and join a community of others sharing the same learning experience.

The business leaders at the forefront of AI know there’s urgency here: keeping pace means implementing training. In fact, the biggest AI advocates are 53% more likely to invest in AI training and feel better positioned to meet skills needs by 2030.

Help your teams generate value from AI

By training employees to actively identify new opportunities, while staying aware of potential risks, you can generate real business value and keep your organisation ahead of the curve.

Find out more about building AI teams in our latest ebook, or read more about our AI for Business Value programme on our website.