Business leaders back ATLP’s pioneering AI programme

Birmingham’s Millennium Point provided the perfect venue to unveil a ground-breaking programme which aims to prepare students across the city for a future dominated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Futures Readiness was developed by the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) – a family of 24 schools and one Teaching School Hub – across the West Midlands. It now hopes to extend the pioneering scheme beyond its own sites to benefit students across Birmingham and further afield.

The scheme provides students with a preparedness framework of 20 different skills, attitudes, competences and values to help them navigate the rapidly-changing present and prepare for unprecedented disruption to the world of work, education and society.

Alex Zarifeh, ATLP Trust Lead on Personal Development and Careers, has shaped the programme after months of in-depth research, working with Dr Shane McLoughlin, of the University of Birmingham, to categorise the Futures Readiness taxonomy.

The November 11 event, introduced by Millennium Point CEO Abbie Vlahakis, presented details of the programme to dozens of regional business leaders, all potential collaborators in the exciting project.

Under the theme ‘The Game Has Changed: AI and the Future of Work’, the event shed light on the transformative role AI is already playing in knowledge-based industries. Sponsored by education recruitment service Aspire People, the breakfast meeting also provided an opportunity for business leaders to network.

Alex said: “We had a fantastic response to our Futures Readiness event, with more than 50 major companies from across the Midlands attending, which I think shows the appetite there is across all sectors to understand what the impact of AI is likely to be, for their business, their employees and future workforce needs.

“With technology moving so rapidly, it’s vital that education and business work together to try to map out what skills and attributes will be needed from today’s students, because we need to start addressing them now.

“We are very grateful for the support we have already received and hope that more businesses join us in the project.”

Alex talked delegates through AI’s dizzyingly rapid rate of advance, citing everything from programmes that give PhD-level answers to unseen questions within minutes, to F-16 fighter jets controlled by artificial intelligence.

Then he explained how, through simple fortnightly engagement with students, ATLP’s schools aimed to use Futures Readiness to prepare students for the constantly changing world being shaped by technology.

The programme covers Personal Development and Self-Regulation, Ethical and Societal Engagement, Social and Emotional Competences, Cognitive Abilities and Thinking Skills and finally Practical and Environmental Skills.

The next step is to develop a student-facing tracking tool, enabling young people to document, celebrate and reflect upon their personal development progress in each of the framework’s 20 domains.

ATLP is aiming to raise an initial £50,000 to develop the Futures Readiness Tracking Tool, with different Partnership Packages available from £1,000 to £10,000.

During the Millennium Point event, Atkins Realis and Millennium Point both committed to becoming inaugural Futures Readiness Headline Partners, generously committing to £10,000 funding this year.

Chris Golby, CEO of Lumien, said: “Alex is doing some amazing work around preparing young people for what is a very uncertain future. His insights were, quite honestly, outstanding!”

Sophie Wardle, People Director, Higgs LLP, added: “Alex’s AI breakfast seminar was the most compelling business case I have heard for employers to ensure their people are prepared for change!”

The event was sponsored and backed by Millennium Point, Aspire Education’s Daniel Dawkins, Cudos Creative’s Kate Curry, Shannon Williamson and Alastair Hughes and Clive Poole from MonsterPrint.

If you would like to know more about subscribing to ATLP’s Futures Readiness fortnightly resources, arrange a keynote address by Alex or financially support the tracking tool fundraising drive, you can reach out to Alex at azarifeh@arthurterry.bham.sch.uk.

Main picture: The seminar outlined how schools need to address the impact of AI on students’ futures.