Age UK is to train 60 members of staff in using artificial intelligence (AI) and data tools, funded through the government’s apprenticeship levy.

The charity for older people has linked up with technology skills platform Multiverse to deliver the training through an AI and Data Academy.

Multiverse says the training will help the charity to use technology to help “reach more vulnerable people with its services”.

By strengthening digital skills across its teams, Age UK can reduce delays in live fundraising projects, identify future fundraising opportunities, and streamline critical tasks such as writing funding bids, which can take weeks of employee time to complete manually,” it added.

Donna Marshall, chief people officer at the charity, said: “Our people are deeply committed to the meaningful work that they do, and this partnership with Multiverse is a significant investment in their growth and the future of the charity.”

Staff taking part will be enrolled in five Multiverse Level 3 training programmes in using data in business decisions and AI powered productivity. This introduces students to data and AI platforms, including Microsoft Copilot and Power BI.

Age UK strategy and transformation director James Radford added: “To address the complex challenges of poverty and isolation in an ageing population, we must be as agile and data-informed as possible.

“That means developing data and AI capabilities across our teams to unlock insights that allow us to scale our impact and target our resources to reach more people that need our support.”

The apprenticeship levy, now called the Growth and Skills levy, was introduced by the government a decade ago and sees employers with an annual pay bill of more than £3m use 0.5% of their total wages for training.

“The training is funded by our apprenticeship levy so there is no additional cost for the training that Age UK has to pay for,” said an Age UK spokesperson.

“We anticipate our full levy covering all apprenticeships scheduled for this year.”

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