Leonard Cheshire launches AI Academy with Multiverse

Disability care and support charity Leonard Cheshire has partnered with Multiverse to launch an AI Academy for 33 staff members, as the organisation steps up digital and AI training across its operational and frontline teams.

The cohort includes colleagues in HR and finance, alongside staff working directly in care homes. The programme focuses on the use of AI tools for administrative work and routine documentation. Leonard Cheshire expects the training to reduce time spent on manual tasks and improve consistency in data handling across all departments.

The charity plans to use the time freed up from administrative work for care delivery and service management. It also linked the training to a broader modernisation programme that includes technology investment for services, people supported by the charity, and colleagues.

Training programme

Learners enrolled in the academy will undertake Multiverse's Level 3 AI-Powered Productivity course, which covers the practical application of generative AI tools including Microsoft 365 Copilot and Gemini within daily workflows. Leonard Cheshire has indicated that the training will focus on streamlining essential tasks such as reporting, note-taking, and various preparation activities to enhance efficiency. Furthermore, select participants will join the Level 5 AI Strategy and Leadership programme. This advanced track is designed to equip leaders with the skills to plan and guide the broader implementation of AI across the organisation, ensuring a strategic and cohesive digital transformation.

Both courses sit within a wider push by employers to introduce structured training in generative AI tools, as staff experiment with new features in mainstream productivity software. In many organisations, teams have started to use AI assistants for document drafting, meeting notes, and spreadsheet analysis. Employers have also increased focus on governance and data handling as usage expands.

"Through our partnership with Multiverse, we are implementing AI tools to transform how we manage mundane and time-consuming administrative tasks that can take time away from the vital care and support we provide. By reducing this burden and upskilling our teams, we also hope to give colleagues more freedom to focus on the work they are passionate about and that has the greatest impact.

"The AI training is one part of a wider modernisation journey we are on as a charity, as we invest in technology at services, for people we support and use by colleagues. This is all about ensuring we deliver the best possible care and support to the next generation of disabled people - transforming what we currently can provide," said Ruth Owen, CEO, Leonard Cheshire.

Operational focus

The charity said the training programme will cover teams that manage core internal functions and those that work directly in care settings. It expects the common training approach to support consistent processes across the organisation.

Administrative work in care environments includes record keeping, reporting, scheduling, and internal communications. Providers have increasingly looked at software automation and digital tools as they respond to workforce pressures and rising compliance requirements. Leonard Cheshire positioned the training as a move to reduce administrative burden and strengthen data handling skills.

Multiverse describes itself as an upskilling platform focused on AI and tech adoption. The company said it delivers personalised, on-the-job learning and has trained more than 20,000 apprentices in AI, data and digital skills since 2016. Multiverse also said more than 1,500 companies use its programmes.

"The care and support that Leonard Cheshire provides is crucial to disabled people, and their families, and communities. It's an absolute honour to be working with an organisation that touches so many lives, and we hope that our training will help them to reach even more of the people that need them most," said Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer, Multiverse.

Leonard Cheshire said it will roll out the AI Academy across teams including finance, HR, and care homes, with a focus on administrative tasks and reporting work.