Back to FSO Skills Accelerator–AI landing page
28 April 2026
By Siobhan O’Sullivan, FSO Skills Accelerator-AI
“We know AI matters. We’re just not sure where to start.”
That was the consistent message across the first four sprints of the FSO Skills Accelerator-AI.
The Skills Accelerator is a national initiative bringing together VET and industry partners to connect, collaborate, and share AI best practices. Action Learning Sprints are a key part of this work, designed to surface insights and test practical solutions to real-world VET challenges.
In Sprint #5, the focus shifted to what comes next – moving from interest to action, and from experimentation to organisation-wide adoption.
What we learned about AI maturity
With more than 900 partners now engaged, the Skills Accelerator is acting as a real-time barometer for the sector. A clear pattern is emerging: individuals are moving faster than their organisations.
Skills Accelerator partners are rating their own confidence in AI as relatively high, but rated their organisations’ confidence much lower.
The implication is clear: many organisations already have internal champions but lack a clear pathway to mobilise them.
We also heard that generic training is not enough. The sector is looking for confidence through action – practical, role-relevant and grounded in real-world use.
That includes practical tools and templates, clear governance guidance, examples of what good looks like, role-specific use cases, and a roadmap to get started.
Learning from Bendigo Kangan Institute
A highlight of Sprint 5 was hearing directly from Dilan Perera, Chief AI Officer at Bendigo Kangan Institute (BKI), who shared one of the more mature AI adoption examples in Australian vocational education and training.
What stands out in BKI’s approach is a clear shift in mindset – positioning AI not as a technology project, but as a strategic capability to be designed, embedded and scaled.
Its model focuses on four pillars running in parallel:
- AI literacy
- Governance
- Operating model
- Data and technology foundations
Too often, organisations jump straight to tools or pilots. But sustainable progress tends to begin with capability, leadership alignment and the right foundations.
BKI also highlighted the value of empowering early adopters. Rather than forcing adoption, they created space for keen and curious staff to opt in – building momentum through peer advocacy and visible wins.
Download BKI’s AI Playbook for RTOs to learn more.
What is holding organisations back?
The interactive discussion surfaced common barriers across providers:
- Limited time and capacity to build confidence with AI
- Uncertainty about where to focus effort
- Lack of clear internal ownership or dedicated resources
- Governance and risk concerns
- Confusion about how AI should be used in assessment and teaching
- Uneven access to tools across teams
These are real challenges. But they are solvable.
What’s next
Sprint 5 reinforced a simple truth: Organisations need a starting point, not hype.
That’s why the Skills Accelerator focuses on practical support – playbooks, governance tools, case studies, adoption kits and webinars – that build confidence through ‘doing’.
The future of AI in education will be shaped by those willing to start, learn, adapt and keep moving.
Often, the hardest step in transformation is still the first one.
Register to become a partner and join a growing network of hundreds of VET and industry partners shaping the future of AI skilling.
Join our upcoming events:
- 13 May – Webinar: AI in Practice – Leadership (with Australian Institute of Management): exploring how AI is reshaping leadership.
- 20 May – Masterclass: AI Adoption Starter Kit: a hands-on masterclass supporting organisations to apply the AI Governance & Adoption Starter Toolkit.
- 27 May – Action Learning Sprint #6: What’s Working and What’s Next: a clear look at what comes next as we move beyond the pilot.