It took less than a day to make a decision that is still paying dividends. At Shipley Limited, our Managing Director and Finance Director faced a choice. We had invested in AI (like Microsoft Copilot and other mainstream tools) but adoption was slow. The technology was ready, but our people were cautious about using it. They decided to provide every member of our support team with external structured training to learn how to use AI effectively.
Every member of the support team went on a 10 week programme, one day per week, focused on practical AI use. The course offered structured learning with exercises that reflected their real work. They covered how to frame prompts with context, handle data responsibly, critique AI outputs, and identify where AI adds value – and where it doesn’t. The emphasis was on small, repeatable tasks, such as summarising meeting notes, drafting emails, generating checklists, searching across data, and turning unstructured information into usable content.
A few weeks into the training, conversations within the team changed from “Is it possible for AI to do this?” to “How can I use AI to do this, or at least start it for me?” Their confidence rose because their competence rose. They began to standardise prompts, share what worked, and embed AI use into their everyday activities. Not everything they did was successful, but they were using AI and enjoying it.
The impact didn’t stop at work. Several people told me the skills they’ve gained have made life outside the office easier too. To me, that’s proof that when you invest in people at work, you actually invest in their whole lives.
What did we learn? Don’t just hand people tools; build their competence first. Buying licences is the easy bit. Building confidence is the valuable bit. When decision makers choose to invest in training their people, the adoption of tools like AI is much more effective.
If our MD and FD had that “decision day” again, I am sure that they would make the same call. Tools don’t change organisations. Properly trained people do.
Tony Birch
Tony Birch is the founder and current Chairman of Shipley Limited in the UK. Tony served on the main board of the APMP for four years and was elected a Fellow of the organisation in 2006, for his work in developing and launching the APMP’s Certification Programme. Since founding Shipley, Tony has trained thousands of sales and bid professionals around the world.
