We’re proud to share a new report capturing the impact of a proof of concept delivered by Cosmic in partnership with FutureDotNow and Accenture.
This collaborative project set out to test a critical question:
What happens when essential digital and AI skills are embedded into employability programmes?
The results are compelling.
Jobseekers who developed these skills were twice as likely to enter employment, and secured work more quickly than those on standard provision.
But beyond the headline figures, what we saw through delivery was something more powerful, a fundamental shift in confidence, capability and motivation.
From exclusion to opportunity
“This pilot has demonstrated powerfully that digital and AI skills move people from dependence to independence, avoidance to experimentation, and exclusion risk to a job outcome. It’s a blueprint to make future employability programmes relevant for the modern workforce.”
Julie Hawker MBE
Chief Executive, Cosmic
This transformation was visible throughout the programme, with participants gaining not just technical skills, but the confidence to engage with work in a completely different way.
Cosmic’s role: embedding digital and AI skills into real-world delivery
At Cosmic, we led the design and delivery of the programme across the South West, working directly with Restart Scheme participants to build the essential digital and AI skills needed for today’s workplace.
A key principle of this work was enhancing existing employability provision rather than creating something new, ensuring the model is practical, scalable and relevant to current systems.
This included:
- A structured curriculum aligned to the AI embedded Essential Digital Skills Framework
- Tutor led workshops and one-to-one coaching to support confidence and capability
- Practical application of digital and AI tools in real job-related tasks
- Accredited digital badging developed in partnership with City and Guilds
Through this approach, we saw participants move from digital dependence to independence, building the confidence to apply their skills in job search and workplace contexts.
Working in partnership: what made this possible
This project is the result of strong collaboration, combining delivery expertise, employer insight and national leadership.
We’re proud to have worked alongside:
- FutureDotNow, providing strategic leadership and the AI embedded Essential Digital Skills Framework
- Accenture, who engaged with over 25 employers to understand changing workforce expectations
- City and Guilds and Navigatr, who worked with us to develop a recognised digital badging approach to recognise skills and competencies
- Mark Cotton, who provided independent evaluation to strengthen the evidence base
We would also like to thank Seetec, as the prime provider for the Restart Scheme in the South West, for their support throughout the pilot. Their collaboration, flexibility and commitment to enabling innovation within an existing programme made this work possible.
Together, this partnership has created a model that is both impactful in practice and credible at a system level.
Why this matters now
The findings highlight a significant challenge.
Only a third of jobseekers currently have the essential digital skills needed for work, despite these now being a baseline expectation across most roles.
At the same time, employers increasingly expect candidates to confidently use digital tools and adapt to new technologies, including AI.
This creates a clear gap, but also a clear opportunity.
This proof of concept demonstrates that embedding essential digital and AI skills into employability programmes can significantly improve outcomes, without the need to design entirely new provision
Looking ahead: scaling what works
This work was designed with scale in mind.
Building on this project, a practical toolkit will be published in summer 2026, developed with Cosmic, to support organisations to replicate and embed this approach within their own programmes
This will include:
- Programme design guidance
- Practical delivery tools and templates
- Insight to support commissioning and partnership development
Let’s build on this together
As new employability programmes are commissioned and local skills priorities evolve, this report provides clear, evidence-based insight into what works.
We welcome conversations to explore the report, the evidence behind it, and how this approach could shape future employability programmes and commissioning priorities.