Case Study: CiCi supporting adult education in North Yorkshire

In 2024/2025, North Yorkshire Adult Learning and Skills Service strategically piloted CiCi to scale up their careers support and provide 24/7 access to the curated careers chatbot for adult learners. CiCi also provided a key resource for the highly successful county wide Information Advice and Guidance Champions project funded through the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

By engaging staff and project participants as early adopters, the team built internal expertise and enthusiasm – creating a powerful foundation for promoting CiCi across the learner community. In 2025/2026, they are renewing their CiCi licence to enable them to support more adult learners.

Challenge

• Tutors and the Learning Advice team spend significant time answering repetitive questions about courses, jobs, and labour market information, leaving less capacity to support learners facing complex barriers or career transitions.
• Community based workers and volunteers can help boost capacity but they need access to  tools to help them do so.
• There is unmet demand for 24/7 access to high quality careers and employability resources.
• Adult learners vary in relation to their specific needs, and although some want in-depth careers guidance, others are looking for self-help or brief-assisted careers support.
• Bite-sized engagement and learning opportunities are needed to build adult learners’ self-confidence and motivation to engage in learning and work.

Process and Implementation

• Phase-by-phase rollout led by a highly experienced Careers Adviser
• Training for tutors and Information Advice and Guidance Champions to introduce them to CiCi.
• Roll out and promotion of CiCi via the project and across the Service.
• Roadshow style activities to introduce the AI curated careers chatbot to potential adult learners in a series of community venues and online activities.

Outcomes:

“CiCi has been received really positively here at North Yorkshire Adult Learning Service. In 2025/2026 we’ll be using CiCi  to support an expanded careers information, advice and guidance project that will cover the whole of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority area.” Barbara Zealley, RCDP, North Yorkshire Adult Learning and Skills Service.

Key lessons learnt

• Start small to prove value – Skillsometer!
• Maintain content accuracy
• Ensure transparency about what an AI curated careers chatbot can and can’t do
• Build strong metrics (satisfaction, accuracy etc) drawing on the CiCi intelligence dashboard
• Involve all stakeholder departments at the earliest stage
• Maximise the support available from the CareerChat UK team to overcome any barriers.

The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority was created by the City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council as part of a 30-year devolution deal announced in August 2022, with an investment fund of over £500 million. This Combined Authority (CA) in England serving over 834,000 citizens.