Employers

The programmes aim to equip team members from various business functions with advanced, industry-relevant data capabilities.

Programmes will be delivered by the tech company Multiverse and include the Advanced-Data Fellowship. In this degree-level program, participants will develop skills in areas like statistical testing, data ethics, predictive modelling, and data security.

Staff are enrolled on the 15-month Data Fellowship which focuses on comprehensive training in data analysis, where they will master data wrangling and analysis techniques.

The Data & Insights For Business Decisions programme is a 13-month course designed to impart both core technical skills required to transform data into insights and softer skills such as building narratives and presenting findings.

These programmes are launched to improve data-driven decision-making at Hyde and promote efficiency within the business. The programmes will also boost the skills of apprentices who are enrolled.

Multiverse is a tech company delivering high-quality education and training through a unique professional apprenticeship model. It offers apprenticeships targeted in areas including software engineering and data analytics.

Neal Ackcral, Chief Operating Officer at Hyde said: “Using data more effectively will undoubtedly help us improve our service for customers. Understanding their needs and working more efficiently will ultimately help us do more for them. It will also help build a more positive data culture throughout our organisation and support those who wish to enhance their data skills.”

Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse, said: "Our partnership with Hyde is driving data skills transformation throughout their ranks. With this apprenticeship programme, Hyde Housing is not only investing in operational efficiency, they're also enriching the career trajectories of its team members. It's a solid step towards a more data-driven housing industry."

The UK is home to some of the world’s most prestigious universities, leading education, research and innovation on a global stage.

However, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are grappling with data skills gaps in the workforce – so much so that qualitative research from WONKHE and Advance HE reported the sector is facing ‘a crisis in data skills.’

This shortage of data skills can undermine student outcomes, hold back progress and result in universities falling short of the expectations of students, funders and even regulatory bodies.

So, what can universities do?

By improving data skills, university leaders can make better data-driven decisions and promote the best outcomes for students and staff.

In this article, learn how universities can close the HEI skills gap and address challenges in higher education with employee upskilling.

Digital transformation presents new challenges and opportunities to universities

Digital transformation has made higher education more reliant on data to optimise processes and inform decision-making.

However, there are data skills shortages in the workforce. And extensive recordkeeping requirements for enrolment, academic histories and research data make it challenging for HEIs to streamline data management. Staff are often left trying to manage complex data environments without the required skill sets.

As a result, the opportunity to make university workforces more productive through digital transformation has not yet been realised. By building workforce data skills, university leaders can improve data quality and how it is used.

Democratising data skills

One of the largest barriers to success is the culture around data skills. Currently, most workplaces view data as the domain of a ring-fenced IT department. It’s not usually a priority to train the wider workforce in data literacy.

However, to run a modern university, data skills are needed across departments.

Upskilling in the workforce spreads skills and increases knowledge sharing across the organisation. By boosting data literacy, capabilities can sit across every function, rather than just a time-poor IT team.

The business case for upskilling university workforces

Data upskilling programmes enable teams to build internal capability without relying solely on expensive hiring drives. This way, HEIs can improve the ways they work not only for enterprise-level ‘big data’ solutions but for everyday activities too.

For example, administrative staff may introduce automation for data processing tasks they would usually perform manually

When staff feel greater ownership over data, they become more interested in finding areas to apply it. Over time, an upskilled university workforce can build better services for students without relying on the IT team as an island of data skills. These are some of the key benefits:

Upskilling creates new opportunities for staff

According to higher education think tank HEPI, members of the GuildHE group saw their student-staff ratio double from 8.3 to 17 between 2014 and 2021. Many HEIs face high employee turnover rates that make it difficult to provide the best quality of service, and at the same time, could damage remaining employees’ work-life balance.

Improving data skills can create new progression paths for employees and increase retention. By building their capabilities, staff become empowered to get the most from their technology, feel more satisfied at work, and are more likely to remain in their jobs.

Upskilling underpins a better student experience

Data skills enable universities to understand student needs and make data-driven decisions to improve experience. Students become more engaged, leading to higher levels of satisfaction – and better National Student Survey (NSS) scores.

As a metric used by many prospective students to decide whether a university is right for them, improving student satisfaction can also improve future enrolment levels.

Upskilling enables optimised resource allocation

As declining international student applications force universities to stretch budgets further, upskilling teams to leverage data-driven insights can be help to improve how existing resources and talent are used. HEIs can also draw on their Apprenticeship Levy funds to pay for the cost of training at no commercial cost to staff or the university. Find out more and read our guide to the Apprenticeship Levy here.

How Goldsmiths University unlocked new benefits from closing skills gaps

Multiverse helps universities build digital skills in the workforce through dedicated upskilling apprenticeship programmes.

Goldsmiths, University of London, partnered with Multiverse and invited staff across all functions to enrol in the Data Academy. Here, they learn skills including analytics, AI and predictive modelling that can assist with their day-to-day tasks.

Throughout the programme, employees at Goldsmiths learned how to:

• Build a data culture – upskilling has empowered individuals across the organisation to become ‘digital professionals’, reducing their reliance on the IT department.
• Create new efficiencies –teams at Goldsmiths have optimised internal processes using skills learned on the programme, streamlining workflows like manual data entry.

David Minahan, Chief Information Officer at Goldsmiths, said:

“Since beginning with the Data Academy, we’ve felt the benefit of improved day-to-day data capabilities across the organisation. Individuals have started thinking in ways they wouldn’t have before, identifying opportunities and working on achieving the outcome themselves.

"For example, I recently spoke to one of my colleagues in the accommodation department, who used to have to transpose data from one spreadsheet to another and into a system on a regular basis. He’s now developed a Python script to automate this.

"Everyone has their own example of a piece of automation that has helped them to streamline their tasks. You’re creating a more efficient organisation, and that starts with individuals.”

Upskilling the workforce at your university

Data skills have transformed how staff at Goldsmiths work, take ownership of data, and provide the best possible experiences for students.

Learn more about how Multiverse can support your university to identify skills gaps and build new opportunities through apprenticeship programmes.

AI is here to stay, and holds real potential for businesses and employees that know how to use it. It’s likely your teams are already using AI to improve workflows or efficiencies, and you might have employees experimenting with AI tools on-the-job.

But the skills needed to leverage the technology to its full potential don’t begin and end with prompt engineering. For AI usage to be effective and strategic there are other skills employees can build – and will likely need very soon for organisations to remain competitive.

That’s because the increasing use of AI in the workplace has arrived hand-in-hand with an ever-pressing skills gap. In fact, nearly half (45%) of leaders name AI as their most significant skills shortage, according to our Preparing for the AI Revolution report – one that must be addressed if businesses are to get the most value from the technology.

Here are four things your team needs to understand to drive real value with AI, this year and beyond:

How to collect, clean, and prepare data

AI has exciting potential applications for data analysis. It can help businesses quickly transform large datasets into actionable insights and predictions, and increase the speed and accuracy of data-driven decision-making. But the ability to drive real value comes from the state of your data.

Before everything else, data must be collated, cleaned and prepared for analysis. Only then can it support AI use cases effectively and deliver the outcomes businesses want and need.

For this to be possible, upskilling your teams in core data skills is vital. Whether that’s understanding the data lifecycle in relation to AI or being able to evaluate your organisation’s data infrastructure effectively, it’s about making sure your teams are skilled in the fundamentals of AI and data.

If your employees are struggling to get to grips with the data that underpins your AI tools, check out our beginner’s guide to data analysis methods here.

How to experiment with AI safely and ethically

As businesses implement new AI-enabled solutions, processes and policies need to evolve, to help employees navigate the application of these emerging technologies.

Setting out clear guidance is the first step towards helping employees understand the organisation's stance on AI and any approved tools they can use to experiment.

Adhering to this guidance is fundamental. But, employees today must also know how to identify ethical risks and considerations in AI applications themselves. That means having the skills to mitigate biases and risks associated with AI.

Upskilling employees to be able to experiment with AI safely and ethically will help to arm your organisation with technically minded individuals. Ones that can take advantage of opportunities while also implementing fair, transparent and accountable practices in AI algorithms and decision-making.

How to identify opportunities for AI

There’s a lot of potential for skilled employees to deeply understand business needs. From aligning AI solutions directly to business problems, to optimising processes and implementing AI projects that deliver on tangible business impact – and ROI.

But the fundamentals of business analysis with AI require employees to apply different techniques, approaches and understandings to a variety of scenarios. For example, being able to conduct comprehensive analyses of internal and external business environments to gain strategic insights. Or the ability to surface business pains and gather input on potential solutions from key stakeholders.

Being able to spot opportunities for AI means having employees in-house who are skilled in not only evaluating the state of your business, but also in understanding its needs.

How to manage and communicate organisational change around AI

Whether it’s the ability to identify opportunities or implement new solutions, extending AI use throughout your organisation is vital for driving future progress.

But managing change through AI initiatives isn’t simple.

Communicating critical information about AI projects to technical and non-technical stakeholders is an ongoing challenge for those using data and AI in their everyday roles. But it’s inherently important to the overall success of AI usage in your organisation.

For instance, being able to effectively describe the process for taking an AI project from idea to implementation is vital to secure buy-in from key stakeholders across the business. Or the ability to identify different models for ways of working on AI projects that enable teams to collaborate more efficiently.

While communication is typically considered a ‘soft skill,’ it’s fundamental to delivering ROI and measuring the business impact of AI initiatives effectively.

If you’re looking to upskill your employees with soft skills training, check out our article here.

Drive business value with AI

Check out our AI for Business Value programme and help your team leverage AI responsibly to drive business outcomes.

In its current form, the Apprenticeship Levy is a tax on UK employers, with funds exclusively earmarked for apprenticeships training. Labour’s goal is to broaden its use – creating more opportunities for adults in the UK to gain new skills.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the future of the Growth and Skills Levy. But, to help employers unpack what a reformed Levy could mean for their business, here’s what we know so far:

What we know about the Growth and Skills Levy

The goal to reform the Apprenticeship Levy into the new Growth and Skills Levy sits at the heart of Labour’s mission to boost skills in the UK. As a key manifesto commitment, Labour plans to broaden flexible access to adult training in the hope that it will open up opportunities for growth across the workforce.

The intention of the reform is not to reduce the number of apprenticeships, but to increase flexibility. Eventually, the new Levy could allow businesses to spend some of their Levy contributions on non-apprenticeship training, with a portion still reserved for apprenticeships.

So far, the Government has not announced any non-apprenticeship training. Instead, they have announced new ‘Foundation Apprenticeships’. These are targeted at young people, with the goal of providing a broad curriculum and developing both employability and job-specific knowledge skills. The first seven foundation apprenticeships will be available from August 2025, with more likely to follow.

To support this change, employers will be asked to fund more of their Level 7 apprenticeships outside of the Levy. From January 2026, new Level 7 apprentices will only be eligible for levy funding if they are aged 16-21.

A new minimum duration for apprenticeships has also been announced. Apprenticeships can now be as short as 8 months, provided they still meet specific requirements. If you are interested in learning more about these changes, please reach out to a member of the team.

What is Skills England?

The Government has also created a new agency, ‘Skills England’, with the functions of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) transferring to Skills England in June 2025.

Skills England will develop a single picture of national and local skills requirements, bringing together businesses, providers, unions, Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and national government to assess the skills the economy needs.

Skills England will also shape the future of the Growth and Skills Levy, holding a list of approved qualifications and training that businesses will be able to spend Levy money on. The list will be developed in collaboration with businesses and experts.

What could this mean for employers?

Labour’s mission statement refers to the vital need for upskilling and training – alongside apprenticeships – to meet the needs of developing technology in the workplace.

Under the current system, Apprenticeship Levy-paying employers are only using 55.5% of available funds, on average.

By creating more flexibility over how the money is spent, the new Growth and Skills Levy could help some employers utilise a greater proportion of their Levy funds – with training that meets specific business needs and skills gaps. For example, it could provide an opportunity to level-up teams with shorter courses in technical skills, such as AI and data. These are vital areas that will be necessary for future business success and to maintain a competitive edge.

This isn’t just beneficial for employers. Employees also stand to benefit from increased investment in training opportunities – being empowered to learn new skills and feeling valued by their company. For employees, upskilling means opportunities to continuously learn and progress in their roles – which also helps improve retention. In fact, we see 94% of individuals remain at their employer beyond their Multiverse apprenticeship.

What do employers need to consider now?

The Growth and Skills Levy is a commitment from the Labour Party to upskilling employees. Fundamentally, the new policy should not change how employers should think about their investment in training: through the lens of increasing employees’ access to gain in-demand skills.

The Multiverse view

With careful implementation, new opportunities could be created for all workers across the economy – delivering ROI for employers and supporting a culture of work-based lifelong learning.

And while we don’t have all the answers just yet, the key to making a reformed Levy successful will be in making sure it's designed with the support and expertise of employers.

Read more about our perspective on the new Levy in our Skills Mission Report.
Want to speak to us about the Levy or other ways to support upskilling in your workplace? Get in touch.

Last updated: 12 June 2025

The programmes aim to equip team members from various business functions with advanced, industry-relevant data capabilities.

Programmes will be delivered as apprenticeships, by the tech company Multiverse, and include the Data Fellowship, a 15-month level 4 apprenticeship programme delivering best-in-class training in data analysis. Learners will master data analysis techniques as well as data science, Python and an introduction to machine learning.

The Data & Insights for Business Decisions programme, meanwhile, is a 13-month level 3 apprenticeship course designed to impart both core technical skills required to transform data into insights and softer skills such as building narratives and presenting findings.

These programmes have been launched to equip Hoare Lea’s people from all areas of the business with the skills to make faster, data informed decisions, to create compelling stories using data visualisation and to drive transformative change across the business. The skills developed will benefit Hoare Lea’s clients by helping them to deliver high performance buildings, using data-driven methods to arrive at better outcomes whilst saving time on manual data processes. Through the training, Hoare Lea’s employees will develop the skills to analyse and present data to clients, to identify cost savings and efficiencies that deliver better projects.

Hoare Lea, part of the Tetra Tech High Performance Buildings Group, has pioneered the delivery of data training within the group, and will be joined by employees from technical services firm RPS, also a part of Tetra Tech.

Tom Collins, Digital Director at Hoare Lea, said: “Building a data culture is integral to how we make good decisions, design for net zero carbon, and plan for our future as a business. This training is enabling us to offer our people new skills, build our capabilities and, ultimately, make better use of data. Just as importantly, it gives our people access to some of the most in-demand skills in the workplace today, in turn equipping them to make use of data and AI to create a huge positive impact on building performance for our clients.”

Multiverse is a new tech-first institution that combines work and learning to unlock economic opportunity for everyone. It offers apprenticeships targeted in areas including software engineering and data analytics.

Noah Stevenson, Vice President GTM at Multiverse, said: "The effective use of data has the potential to radically transform organisations, and Hoare Lea have recognised this potential. Not only is this an investment in operational efficiency and net zero, but it’s also an investment in people: enriching the career trajectories of the team at Hoare Lea.”

As part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, leaders across the country are seeking to modernise the organisation’s digital and data infrastructure. By making more effective use of data, they aim to better meet patient needs and offer a higher level of personalised care.

Since 2020, Multiverse has partnered with over 40 different NHS bodies – ranging from NHS trusts, to whole integrated care systems like Leeds Health and Care Academy – to launch NHS Data Academies, designed to embed data skills across the workforce, support NHS digital transformation strategies, and improve patient outcomes.

Equipping NHS employees with in-demand data skills

Through the NHS Data Academies, over 500 NHS employees have enrolled on Multiverse data upskilling programmes in the past three years. This includes personnel in clinical, operational, administrative, and IT-related roles – laying the necessary foundations to improve data literacy organisation-wide.

Employees are empowered to upskill, improve their data literacy, and develop digital skills across a range of learning pathways.

Each of the NHS Data Academies share a common set of goals:

• Improving operational efficiency by helping staff improve their confidence and efficiency in handling data. Across the NHS data academies, apprentices have tracked an average time saving of 6.4 hours per week from improving their data skills.
• Enabling data-driven decision-making by extracting actionable insights from complex data sets.
• Supporting improved patient outcomes by leveraging data to provide more personalised care.

During their programme, employees gain new skills through applied learning – using their new skills in real-time, on projects at the front lines of the NHS. It’s this combination that drives measurable impact.

Improving operational efficiencies and patient outcomes at North London Mental Health Partnership

When North London Mental Health Partnership (NLMHP) launched its Digital Academy with Multiverse, it took another stride towards a more efficient way of working. The initiative emphasises the intelligent use of data to drive improvements and efficiencies, by providing employee training to more than 100 staff across every division of NLMHP.

Sarah Wilkins, Chief Digital Information Officer at NLMHP, says, ‘‘Being part of this initiative means understanding of our data and insights will be embedded through the organisation, enabling us to enhance our services and improve patient and service user outcomes.

"Not only will it drive operational efficiency, but it will also serve as a stepping stone in our commitment to professional development for our staff."

With improved digital capabilities, NLMHP aims to help employees become more efficient across a wide range of workflows, including project management, analysis and forecasting. The training aims to make the Partnership more data-driven and productive, ultimately resulting in improvements to patient outcomes and services.

Driving digital transformation at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) helps practitioners and commissioners get the best care to people, fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer. NICE does this by producing useful and usable guidance for health and care practitioners.

NICE had access to plenty of data to help inform their people and services, but wanted to leverage it more effectively, to boost productivity.

Elena Doyle, Associate Director of Data Management at NICE, says, "NICE is on a transformation journey to ensure we’re meeting the changing needs of our nation’s health and care systems. Improving the data and digital skills of our people is an essential part of this transformation.

“That’s why in June 2023, we launched our Data Academy, so we can deliver even more relevant, timely, usable and impactful guidance for our partners.”

At the start of the partnership, Multiverse conducted a skills gap analysis across each division at NICE, which identified the target areas that would see the biggest impact from an upskilling programme.

“To date, 10% of our workforce has joined the Academy, with every directorate represented. This is so we can reach a transformational tipping point,” says Elena.

“We have seen significant productivity improvements, growth in awareness of how to leverage data the right way, as well as better use of tools we have invested in like Power BI.”

Unlock digital transformation with employee upskilling

To learn more about how Multiverse can support your own digital transformation goals through upskilling, get in touch.

By 2028, the cloud computing market is expected to reach a record value of $1.24 trillion. As a result, the demand for highly skilled software engineers, capable of developing advanced cloud-based solutions, is set to rise.

Building a software team capable of driving innovation through emerging technologies is a top priority for leaders. But this mission presents talent acquisition challenges – externally hiring and retaining mid-senior level software engineers is a time and capital-consuming process.

Keep reading to learn how upskilling your junior tech workforce can help your organisation to accelerate innovation, unlock productivity, and reduce costs.

We’ll explore some of the key obstacles facing leaders today, and discuss some of the transformational benefits you can expect from building a high-performing software engineering team from within your ranks.

What are the common barriers to building high-performing software engineering teams?

The software engineering job market has seen a turbulent few years, cycling between talent shortages and layoffs. But throughout this, hiring for mid-senior level talent has remained a slow and often expensive process, leaving teams short of crucial expertise.

Leaders want to fill these skills gaps, but they face several barriers to creating high-performing software engineering teams. These include:

• A lack of emerging skills: Software engineers today need the skills to capitalise on emerging new technologies like AI and cloud. With skills gaps in the workforce, many companies struggle to innovate in these fast-moving domains.
• Heavy reliance on junior talent: As we often hear from Multiverse customers, hiring junior software engineering talent is easier. As a result, development teams are often made up of less experienced developers, requiring more time from senior software engineers to provide mentoring and Quality Assurance (QA).
• High demand and limited availability for mid-senior engineers: There’s currently a lack of long-term solutions to the shortage of mid-senior talent, presenting an ongoing challenge for companies, and resulting in a small, overstretched talent pool. Burned out software engineers can struggle to feel motivated and engaged with their progression, leading to retention issues.

Overall, these challenges can result in a productivity decline, a slow speed of innovation, and mounting costs for hiring and retaining skilled developers.

The solution: Upskilling your software engineers

It’s clear that technology and engineering leaders need a new approach to navigate these challenges.

That’s why as demand for skills increases, many organisations are divesting from hiring software engineers externally to upskilling and reskilling their existing workforce. With our data suggesting that 69% of businesses will need different workforce skills to stay competitive by 2030, this comes at an opportune time.

By providing junior software engineers with opportunities to learn, improve their skills, and apply their new training on the job, leaders can increase mid-senior level engineering capacity and address challenges head-on.

The business benefits of a high-performing software engineering team

Upskilling junior software engineers presents an opportunity to deliver financial, talent, and business benefits. These are some of the top advantages:

1. Increased productivity

Upskilling can deliver measurable productivity benefits by increasing the overall capacity of your software engineering team – without adding to headcount.

Offering additional, advanced on-the-job training opportunities can reduce the time it takes to ramp junior talent up to mid-senior productivity levels, as they gain expertise across many engineering disciplines, including cybersecurity, software development, and testing principles.

In turn, output volume and accuracy are increased, with less intervention required from senior engineers, who can focus their time on more complex or strategic priorities.

2. Faster speed of innovation

Upskilling your software development team empowers them to leverage new technologies and drive digital transformation. For example, many programmes explore emerging business applications for cloud, data strategy, and AI.

Equipping your staff with the skills to meet today’s demands paves the way for technology-powered business change in the years to come.

The culture of innovation established with upskilling can also help bring products to market faster, and drive efficiencies through new ways of working.

3. Reduced costs

Our data shows that 76% of leaders plan to increase their spending in upskilling – and it’s an investment that can provide impressive returns. By filling in-demand mid-senior level roles through levelling up existing employees, you can reduce hiring costs that would have been required to source talent externally.

Investing in your employees’ professional development also has proven benefits for retention, saving further costs through reduced attrition. When employers provide opportunities to learn new skills and advance their careers, employees feel more motivated and engaged at work – 93% of leaders report improvements in workforce retention and resilience after launching upskilling initiatives.

Understand the skills gaps in your software engineering team

Upskilling is the key to building high-performing software teams, offering substantial benefits to organisations striving to deliver ambitious software engineering strategies.

It’s particularly useful for teams feeling the pinch on mid-senior level developer capacity, helping transform more junior members of staff into experienced engineers.

What are the key areas to upskill your software engineering teams?

In our eBook, "How to build high-performing software engineering teams", we explore four essential areas to upskill your existing employees and unlock full potential.

Want to learn more? Explore our upskilling courses for software developers.

Amidst all these changes, Multiverse hosted author, Bloomberg columnist, and all-round future of work expert, Julia Hobsbawm, for a Q&A to celebrate the launch of her latest book -“Working Assumptions”. Jimmy McLoughlin, the podcast host and former advisor to the UK Prime Minister, hosted the discussion.

From the discussion, we’ve pulled out five of the most important trends that are shaping the future of work today.

1) It’s early days but AI is already augmenting the way we work

While there are fears about AI potentially replacing human workers, the current reality is that it's being used to augment and assist them in diverse areas from research and marketing, to medical diagnostics.

As Hobsbawm shared, "I use a tool called Perplexity daily. Sometimes I have questions where I need the facts at my fingertips, and the answer comes up very clearly. AI is everywhere - I also went to the eye hospital recently and they were using it for patient diagnostics.”

Hobsbawm also discussed how AI capabilities could help upskill and "level up" workers by taking over specific tasks and automating processes to allow more strategic work. But, there were open questions about whether AI could standardise work too much, depress wages for certain roles, or privilege some workers over others in accessing and leveraging these AI tools effectively.

This continues to underscore the importance of learning new skills, particularly for those in roles at risk of automation or those looking to enter the workforce. As AI improves and our ability to use it matures, it will become increasingly important to ensure everyone can take advantage of the opportunities it brings.

2. Continuous skills-based learning is the future

It’s clear that an iterative skill mindset is replacing the ‘one-and-done’ education paradigm.

As Hobsbawm said, "If I was starting over, I would think about constantly developing and evolving my skills. I certainly wouldn't tell someone, if you go to a certain university, or do an MBA, and you're sorted. That's over."

In this new world, we must adopt a mindset of lifelong learning. Whether that’s shifting our workspaces to provide opportunities and cultivate new skills or learning new technical capabilities and enhancing soft skills like communication. Individuals will need to continuously upskill throughout their careers, not just frontload knowledge through degrees or certifications acquired years ago. The shelf life of a static skill set is rapidly diminishing.

3. The importance of equitable reskilling

AI can help level the playing field, because the least skilled and least qualified tend to get better faster using AI. However, there is still a need to translate access to information into applicable skills among different ethnic, socioeconomic, and generational groups.

For example, Hobsbawm highlighted the paradox that although there has never been more equal access to information, those from privileged backgrounds are still better at knowing how to access and use it. Similarly, she said that “class is fantastically important” for shaping attitudes towards safety, security, and risk appetite when it comes to building and maintaining careers.

Networks and mentorship were called out as potential solutions to overcome systems of inequity. “If you put people in an equal space, and you give them time, and you show them interest, and you teach them curiosity, they will learn. They will have that competence. Nobody is inherently better or smarter.”

4. Gen Z represent a new generation of workers with different priorities (for now)

Compared to prior generations, younger generations like Gen Z have very different attitudes toward job security, career paths, and the types of work they find appealing, As Hobsbawm noted, "They want different things. They don't want the kinds of jobs with rigid hierarchies and linear paths. They want good, purposeful work, and they want flexibility. But the symbol of the fancy office building is no longer enough.”

This generational mindset shift is upending traditional office cultures centred on degrees, titles, and ladder-climbing. As a result, companies will need to rethink how they structure jobs, progression, amenities, and their employer branding to attract and retain this new generation.

However, Hobsbawm asked whether this would persist as Gen Z gets older. “What happens when this generation starts to have babies? Are their values going to shift? Are they going to want stability and mortgages? Or will they have swung to this solopreneur and freelancing mindset?”

5. Flexibility is now (almost) universal

The debate about remote work has been fought fiercely, but Hobsbawm was clear in her view that “fully remote doesn’t work, except for a minority of businesses.” However, the good news is that some degree of flexibility to work from home and the office is now offered “almost universally.”

While some remote-work advocates might want the 100% remote world, the shift to more flexible working patterns still marks a significant shift from the pre-pandemic norms. This is forcing a rethink around city economies, commuting patterns, and even home setups, as people want to spend more time living and working from the same place.

The most profound change in a century

"This is the biggest moment in 100 years” - said Hobsbawm. “Technologically, culturally, politically, generationally. We really haven't seen anything like this since Henry Ford brought in automation."

At Multiverse, we can’t predict the future, but we do know that by helping organisations equip their staff with the skills to take advantage of new technology they will be well-placed to navigate the ever-changing work of work, whatever comes their way.

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."

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.”