Debenhams Group launches AI Skills Academy to build “future-ready workforce”

Debenhams Group, formerly known as Boohoo Group before a rebrand earlier this year, is looking to fast-track its AI capabilities across its brands, including Debenhams, PrettyLittleThing, Boohoo, BoohooMan and Karen Millen, by launching an AI Skills Academy for its employees.

In a statement, Debenhams said the AI Skills Academy, in partnership with workforce development platform Multiverse, would be fully funded through the group’s 1.35-million-pound Apprenticeship Levy, a government fund for work-based training.

The new programme aims to boost growth across the Debenhams Group by closing the AI skills gap, while driving innovation and building a “future-ready workforce" by empowering its staff with the skills needed “to lead in a fast-moving retail landscape”.

The AI Skills Academy will be available to all Debenhams Group employees and will offer structured, on-the-job learning “that will deliver tangible value to the Debenhams Group business”.

Staff will be taught all the technical skills required to embrace AI in their day-to-day work, including using AI tools to boost productivity and "free up time for higher value, strategic work," applying AI solutions to streamline operations and reducing manual tasks, and building AI systems in-house “to accelerate digital transformation and reduce reliance on external providers”.

Debenhams Group doubling down on the use of AI across business with new skills academy programme

The new programme supports a key pillar of Debenhams Group’s digital transformation roadmap, aimed at embedding a culture of innovation and continuous learning, and will be launched internally via a company-wide communication campaign, including in-person sessions delivered by Multiverse to help teams understand the opportunities on offer.

Dan Finley, chief executive of the Debenhams Group, said: “Adopting AI is not just about investing in our systems – it’s about investing in our people. With the launch of the AI Skills Academy, we’re giving our teams the tools to think differently, work smarter and build for the future.

“This is about unlocking the potential of every colleague to drive real innovation across the group.”

The new initiative comes as Debenhams Group signed a new multi-year partnership deal with cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate its adoption of AI-driven tools in July. Through the new agreement, the retail group will use generative AI to streamline its operations for its Debenhams brand, enhancing its efficiencies and improving its personalisation and product discovery for customers.

Debenhams also announced a new marketing strategy aimed at building brand awareness and boosting customer growth in collaboration with Pinterest, which included using the social media platform’s AI tools to enhance personalisation and engagement.