M&S has also implemented two new apprenticeships and up-skilled more than 5,000 colleagues, leading to over 100,000 impressions and comms engagements across the organisation.
The programme has held five 24-hour hackathons, established an annual conference and built a huge data community and more than 5,000 staff members have completed self-guided learning or attended a peer-led learning session. The academy collaborates with analysts to create targeted learning for business areas, using business data and commercial scenarios. Users of the academy can take part in extensive sessions that examine analysis and data – session times are flexible following shift patterns and individual store demands.
M&S was the first UK retailer to launch both the Level 3 data technician apprenticeship (November 2020), and the Level 7 data science and AI apprenticeship (November 2021). The apprenticeships have been used by 364 M&S staff members from all areas of the wider organisation, including 43 store staff and ten Level 4 graduates progressing to Level 7.
BEAM academy joined the Futuredotnow coalition in 2021, supporting the M&S target to upskill every colleague in the data and digital skills needed by the end of 2023. Since launch, M&S has completed a trial of digital skills training for 300 front-line workers, seeing a 35% improvement in overall digital confidence.
