Upskilling your workforce for AI: How to get started
For L&D Professionals: What should come first—building an AI upskilling strategy for employees or teaching your L&D team how AI works?
One of the biggest challenges I see with L&D teams is figuring out where to begin when it comes to upskilling non-technical teams. The truth is, to create an effective and impactful AI upskilling strategy, L&D professionals need a solid understanding of how generative AI works and how it’s applied in the workplace. Starting with your own team’s AI education lays the foundation for success.
To tackle this challenge, the first step is clear: prioritize training your L&D team. They are the backbone of your AI literacy initiatives, and their confidence in AI concepts and applications will determine the success of your programs. Let’s dive into why starting with your team is essential and how it sets the stage for impactful AI upskilling across your organization.
Step 1: Train L&D teams first
Your L&D team is the backbone of your AI literacy initiatives. If they’re not confident in AI concepts and applications, your programs won’t succeed. Take the time to invest in their education first. They need to understand the basics—what AI is, how it works, and where it can be applied. But beyond that, they need the skills to translate those concepts into relatable, practical lessons for non-technical employees. A strong foundation here ensures your training sessions are engaging and effective, not overwhelming or overly technical.
Step 2: Engage and educate executives
AI literacy can’t thrive without executive buy-in. Leaders often feel pressure to drive AI initiatives but lack the confidence in their own understanding. You can fix that. Create executive-level sessions that cut through the jargon and get straight to what they need to know—how AI supports their strategic goals, what it means for their teams, and how to communicate its value across the organization. Educated leaders are essential to driving cultural change and ensuring AI literacy gets the attention and resources it needs.
Step 3: Empower power users to scale AI literacy training
Once your L&D team and executives are onboard, it’s time to tap into your team’s hidden AI champions: the power users. These are the people who quickly pick up AI tools, see how they can apply them to their roles, and are naturally inclined to help others. Give them the support they need—extra training, resources, and time—to act as mentors for their teams. Power users are your secret weapon for scaling AI knowledge across the company. They make AI feel approachable and relevant by sharing their experiences and insights in real time.
Upskilling employees for AI starts with upskilling L&D
Your role as an L&D professional isn’t just about delivering training—it’s about equipping your organization to embrace change, adapt, and thrive in an AI-powered world. Start with the right people, and the rest will follow.
By focusing first on training the L&D team, then the leaders, and letting power users teach others, you’re creating a layered, sustainable approach to AI literacy. This approach doesn’t overwhelm employees or leave them guessing how AI fits into their roles. It builds confidence from the top down and the bottom up. Even better, it sets your organization up for scaling AI training and building a culture of learning.
Build AI literacy in your organization with this AI Upskilling Workflow for Non-Technical Teams. This brief, step-by-step training roadmap for L&D teams shows the small, impactful steps you can take to upskill employees for AI.
Learn more about AI literacy training for L&D professionals who want to take the lead on AI literacy in their organizations.