Barrhead Housing Association
one cohort, learning together.
A small Scottish housing association set out to give colleagues the skills to use AI in a way that made their work better, quicker or easier. They ran their first cohort across functions, worked through the modules one at a time, and talked about each one together straight afterwards.
Told by
Lauren Rice
Director of Finance and Corporate Services
The aim
Tangible benefits quickly, and changed behaviour over the long term
"Our aim with SUSY was to give colleagues the information and skills they needed to start using AI in a way that would make their work better, quicker or easier. We wanted the programme to deliver tangible benefits quickly and change behaviour over the long term."
"As a small housing association we chose SUSY to give learners diverse and tailored experiences, with the flexibility of being able to learn in their own time and at their own pace."
The approach
One module at a time, then talk about it
Barrhead did not run SUSY as e-learning to be completed alone. They ran it as a cohort, which is the model SUSY is designed around.
"Our first cohort of learners included colleagues from our different functions. As a group we worked through modules one at a time, and followed up with group discussions immediately afterwards to reflect on our learning. This gave us space to experiment, share ideas and learn from each other's successes and mistakes."
"The social experience of learning together also meant we were constantly reflecting on how we were trusting AI, discussing when and how to challenge it, and when to use our unique human perspectives to get well-rounded results."
What changed
Confidence first, then the uses followed
"We saw the benefits almost immediately. Throughout our SUSY experience, as people's skills and confidence grew, we uncovered more and more uses for Copilot."
Reported by learners in Barrhead's first cohort, in their own words, during the early modules. Individual experiences, not a measured average.
From the cohort
What people said as they worked through the early modules
Where they are now
A foundation, not a finish line
"The SUSY platform has done what it set out to do and kickstarted our journey into AI-fluency. We now have a solid foundation for using AI in practical and responsible ways. It's changed how many of us approach everyday tasks and we're confident and curious about what the future will bring."
Next step
Run a cohort like Barrhead's
Small association or large, the model is the same: colleagues from across functions, one module at a time, and a conversation after each one.