Our commitment

Rachael Millhouse, Director of Human Resources -
"This initiative is about investing in colleagues, ensuring they feel confident and supported in using AI to make work more effective and rewarding. It provides staff with opportunities to gain recognised qualifications, simplify everyday tasks, and focus more on adding value to students and each other."

Tom Banham, Director of Student Education and Experience -
"I’m delighted that colleagues in Student Education and Experience are taking part in the launch of the University of York’s AI Academy. For me, this is about investing in our people – giving colleagues the skills and confidence to work smarter with technology, so we can create real value in our work and deliver an even better experience for staff and students. I’d encourage colleagues to get involved and be part of shaping the future of how we work at York."

Mark Shaw, Director of Faculty Operations - Social Sciences -
"I would really encourage all colleagues who are interested to go along to an information session to find out more about these apprenticeships. At a time of rapid technological development, it’s more important than ever for us all to keep our skills up to date and think about how we can use new tools in our work. As a faculty, we are strongly supportive of these apprenticeships as a route for colleagues to develop and grow their knowledge and expertise."

Natalie Armstrong, Director of Faculty Operations - Sciences -
“Our AI Academy programme is about investing in our people and giving them the skills to work confidently with new technologies. By enabling staff to make the best use of AI, we can add real value to their day, enhance the way they work, and ultimately deliver a richer experience for both colleagues and students.”

Ros Roberts, Director of Faculty Operations - Arts and Humanities -
"This is a great opportunity for personal development, to support you in your current role and when you’re looking for the next step, whether that’s here at York or elsewhere. We know some teams are smaller than they were, so here’s a way to learn how new tools can streamline processes and reduce manual interventions. Some of you will already be excited by this, but I expect some will be unsure. Please take the time to go to an information session to find out more, to enable you to make an informed decision as to whether this is for you."

Finance Directors - Jamie Holliday, Ali Henley-Jones, Rachel Devaney -
“With the HR/Finance Transformation programme now up and running and the continued financial challenges in our sector driving the need to work differently, we are excited to be able to support colleagues within Finance to take up an opportunity to learn with the AI Academy and bring that learning into our day to day processes. We want to understand how to use AI to make our day to day tasks more efficient and our use of time more satisfying and to improve the service we provide to others. We are really keen that this is achieved through enabling the finance team to develop their skills and expertise to lead this, both in the near future and in helping maximise the opportunities within our new ways of working.”

Jo Black, Senior Executive Officer and Head of Administration -
"This is a really important initiative; we have already been through a lot of change, and key University initiatives such as HR & Finance Transformation will bring new ways of working. This hands-on course will empower you to use AI tools to innovate and find different ways of working- helping to find new ways to create time and add a different perspective to your everyday work. From automating minute-taking, streamlining action tracking and managing calendars, this course will provide you with new skills that you can take forward in your careers - engaging with work in new and exciting ways."