How Barnsley College used our qualifications to teach AI

Barnsley College became one of the first FE providers in the country to use an existing, regulated qualification to teach basic AI skills to learners. Rather than waiting for a new qualification, the College used the flexibility in units it could already deliver to build a project-based AI course, funded through the Adult Skills Fund. More than 40 learners completed it in the first year.

If you can see the demand for AI skills but cannot see how to get a qualification approved, funded and running in time, this is the route Barnsley took instead.

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At a glance

Centre

Barnsley College, an FE college and the UK’s first government-backed Tech Town

Qualification

An existing Ofqual-regulated Level 2 digital qualification, delivered through flexible units

The challenge

Learners wanted to understand AI but did not have a computing background, and many assumed it would replace their jobs

The solution

Use the flexibility in existing units to build a project-based AI course, with two home-grown prompting models

The result

More than 40 learners completed in the first year, across four cohorts

Somebody with AI skills on their CV is more likely to get the job than somebody without them. This course is about equipping people for that reality.

Daniel Wright, Curriculum Course Lead, Barnsley College

The challenge: how do you teach AI to learners with no computing background?

Barnsley College recognised a clear need to support learners who wanted to understand AI but did not have a computing background. Misconceptions were common: many assumed AI was only relevant to IT specialists or believed it was destined to replace jobs altogether.

The national picture gave the work its urgency. Government research shows that around 7.5 million adults in the UK still lack the essential digital skills required for the workplace. A separate study by FutureDotNow and the Centre for Economic and Business Research has estimated that bridging this digital skills gap could add £23 billion to the UK economy each year.

We wanted to move beyond the hype. AI is not a replacement for people; it's a tool that can support them. The challenge was to show learners how to use it effectively, safely and with confidence.

Daniel Wright, Curriculum Course Lead, Barnsley College

How Barnsley College built an AI course from units it could already deliver

The course followed an explore, experiment, explain, apply model. Learners were introduced to different AI tools, reflected on how they worked, and then applied them in a structured project.

The main assignment placed learners in the role of administrators at a fictional company. They were asked to create between six and ten workplace documents such as job descriptions, spreadsheets or client templates. AI was used to draft the documents, which were then refined and presented. Evidence included screenshots, production logs and reflective journals. The focus was always on the learning journey rather than on the raw AI output.

That evidencing decision is what made the qualification work. By assessing the process rather than the output, the College was able to meet internal and external quality assurance requirements on a subject where the tool does part of the writing.

Less than 20 per cent of our learners came from computing backgrounds. We had people from creative media, marketing and administration. By framing AI as a tool, rather than a coding skill, we made it accessible to everyone.

Daniel Wright, Curriculum Course Lead, Barnsley College

The results: more than 40 completers in the first year

Feedback from learners was very positive.

One parent used AI to create a GCSE maths tutor for her son, who now uses it weekly for revision.
A member of the business development team halved the time needed to prepare client presentations.
ESOL learners reported using AI for translation and CV preparation.
Many learners described the tools as “like having a personal assistant for smaller tasks once it is set up.”

Staff development has also been significant. College departments that took part reported freeing up hours of time previously spent on repetitive paperwork. This enabled them to focus more on building relationships with employers and learners.

Barnsley College intends to continue developing its AI provision with us. Plans include extending delivery to younger learners and to higher levels, monitoring how graduates apply their AI skills in work and further study, and sharing practice with other colleges to reduce duplication and speed up adoption.

Technology moves faster than education. The best way to respond is to give learners the confidence to use tools like AI safely and effectively, and to share our learning across the sector.

Daniel Wright, Curriculum Course Lead, Barnsley College

What this could mean for your learners

Barnsley did not wait for a new qualification to exist. They looked at what they could already deliver, found the flexibility in it, and built a course around a fictional company, ten documents and two prompting models they wrote themselves. The learners who benefited most came from marketing, admin and creative media, not from computing.

The same is possible for very different learners, in very different settings. If you can see the demand for AI skills and are working out how to meet it with what you already have, we’re here whenever you’d like to talk.