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For organisations

Team AI Adoption Programme

A structured programme for organisations rolling out AI across the team - not just with one or two early adopters.

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The challenge

Why "more AI training" usually doesn't change how the team works

Most AI training is built for individuals. It doesn't help when the goal is shifting how an entire team works.

Without a structured rollout, AI adoption splinters - some people race ahead, others stay where they were, and the organisation gets fragmented value.

This programme is designed to bring a team forward together, with the same shared language, the same practical skills, and the same understanding of where AI fits in the work.

Who this is for

  • Organisations with existing teams who need AI capability across the group
  • Intermediaries (industry bodies, training networks, sector groups) running cohort-based programmes
  • Leadership teams who want their organisation to move forward together rather than in fragments
  • Small and medium businesses that have tried AI training before but found it did not change how the team actually works
  • Expertise-heavy organisations where AI needs to fit around specialist work, not replace it

Format and structure

  • Cohort-based, multi-session structure
  • Typically delivered over 4-6 weeks, usually 6 sessions
  • Mix of live sessions, structured exercises between sessions, and group discussion
  • Online or in-person delivery
  • Optimal cohort size of 8-12 participants, viable up to 20+ for intermediary-run cohorts
  • Customised to your organisation's context, sector, and current AI maturity

What participants learn

  • Shared team language for talking about AI specifically and concretely
  • Practical skills participants apply in their real work the same week
  • A clear view of which AI tools fit which roles in your organisation
  • Governance principles the team understands and applies, not a policy nobody reads
  • Documented use cases your team builds during the programme
  • A shared sense of where AI fits and where it doesn't - so adoption decisions get easier

Sample six-session agenda

A typical structure - the specific content is scoped to your sector and the work your team actually does. [Pending: Alastair to send IRDG agenda for verbatim adaptation.]

  1. Session 1

    Where AI fits in your work

    Mapping current workflows and identifying the highest-value adoption opportunities for the team.

  2. Session 2

    Practical AI tools, applied

    Hands-on with the core tools, working through use cases participants brought from their own roles.

  3. Session 3

    Building reusable assets

    Prompts, templates, and workflows participants build in the room and take into their week.

  4. Session 4

    Governance the team will actually follow

    Data classification, what to share and what not to, role-based guardrails the team can live with.

  5. Session 5

    Measuring adoption and progress

    How to tell whether AI is paying back, and what to do about the workflows where it isn't.

  6. Session 6

    Closing the cohort

    Cohort-built playbook, internal champions identified, and a plan for the next 90 days.

Case study

IRDG Skillnet Innovation Programme

Two consecutive cohorts sold out within days of opening

We delivered the Team AI Adoption Programme through IRDG Innovation Skillnet across multiple cohorts of member organisations. The programme blended live sessions with applied work between sessions, with each participant working on a real use case from their own role.

The cohort format gave participants a community of practice that continued past the programme itself, and the cross-organisation mix meant people learned from each other's contexts as much as from us.

Trusted by

IRDG Skillnet Ireland Chambers Ireland Local Enterprise Office Connected Hubs Údarás na Gaeltachta Mayo County Council University College Cork Atlantic Technological University Voya Jennings O'Donovan Xerox

Common questions

How is this different from generic AI training?

Generic AI training is built for individuals. Someone watches a tutorial, learns a tool, goes back to work, and nobody else on the team has changed. The Team AI Adoption Programme is structured so the whole team moves forward together, with shared language, shared skills, and shared decisions about where AI fits in your specific work.

Can it be customised to our industry?

Yes. Every cohort is scoped to the organisation's sector and current AI maturity. We adjust the use cases, examples, and governance frameworks to fit the work your team actually does. A professional services cohort runs differently from a manufacturing one, even when the underlying programme is the same.

Do you deliver this for intermediaries (IRDG, Skillnet, sector bodies)?

Yes. We've delivered this programme through IRDG Innovation Skillnet across multiple cohorts and we work with industry bodies and training networks running co-funded programmes. If you co-ordinate training for a network of organisations, the programme is built to fit that model.

Can we run this for our leadership team alongside the wider team?

Yes - and we often recommend it. The leadership team typically sets AI direction, and the wider team has to land it. Strategic AI for Leaders covers the strategy and governance side; the Team AI Adoption Programme builds practical skills across the team. They're complementary.

What does it cost?

Investment depends on cohort size, delivery format (online or in-person), and the depth of customisation. The site-wide range is typically from €1,995 to €7,995. We give you a specific quote on a Focus Call once we understand the cohort size and what you need.

Is funding available?

Funding is often available through Skillnet, IDA, Enterprise Ireland, or LEO - typically covering up to 50% of training costs, depending on eligibility. We'll work through what fits your situation on a Focus Call.

What do we need to do to get started?

Book a Focus Call. We'll talk through what you're trying to achieve, the size and shape of the team, and whether this programme fits. If it does, we scope the cohort, agree dates, and start with a kickoff conversation with whoever is leading the rollout internally.

About the trainer

Alastair McDermott

Founder, HumanSpark

Alastair McDermott has delivered the Team AI Adoption programme to multiple organisations through IRDG Skillnet and direct engagements. He's the author of the Human-First AI Series and works with leadership teams across Ireland on structured AI rollout.

The programme is built from real delivery, not theory.

Last updated: April 2026

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