AI Accelerator Day (GEFIE 1b) with Glanua

Client: Glanua 

Event: GEFIE 1b - AI Accelerator Day 

Industry: Environmental Services 

Date: 19th March 2026 

Consultant: Niels Footman, Rufus Curnow

Advancing AI literacy and practical application within a digitally mature environmental services team

Glanua partnered with Dixon AI to deliver a GEFIE 1b AI Accelerator Day for a digitally capable team already engaging with AI tools on a regular basis. The session focused on building structured understanding, refining prompting approaches, and extending capability into more advanced areas such as agents and skills. Positioned within Stage 3 of the AI Transformation Playbook, the event strengthened organisational AI literacy while beginning to bridge into practical application.

Business Context Glanua entered the session with an existing level of AI familiarity across participants, many of whom were already using AI tools on at least a weekly basis. Operating within environmental services, the organisation works across information-rich and process-driven environments where AI has clear relevance. The session aligned with Stage 3 of the AI Transformation Playbook, where organisations move from informal exploration to structured AI literacy and shared understanding.

Objectives of the Event The session was designed to deepen AI literacy while extending participants beyond basic usage. Key objectives included improving prompting capability, clarifying the distinction between generative and retrieval AI, and introducing more advanced concepts such as agents and skills. A further objective was to ensure AI usage became more closely aligned to individual roles and workflows.

What Happened During the Event Given the group’s existing familiarity, foundational concepts were covered efficiently. This allowed more time to be spent on applied exercises and advanced topics.

Participants worked through prompting techniques, focusing on how to create more personalised and role-specific prompts. This moved interactions with AI from general queries towards more targeted and useful outputs.

The session introduced the distinction between generative and retrieval AI, helping participants understand how different models and approaches apply to different types of tasks.

A key addition to this session was the introduction of agents and skills. Participants explored how to move beyond one-off interactions towards building more structured and reusable AI-driven workflows. This included practical exercises in creating skills, marking the first time this element had been incorporated into this format of Accelerator Day.

The day also included creative exercises, demonstrating how AI can be applied beyond traditional business use cases, reinforcing both engagement and confidence in using the tools.

Key Insights and Takeaways Digitally literate groups move quickly beyond introductory content when given structure. In this case, existing familiarity with AI allowed the session to focus more heavily on application and extension rather than explanation.

Prompt quality remains a defining factor in output quality. When prompts are grounded in specific roles and contexts, outputs become more relevant and immediately usable.

The introduction of agents and skills highlighted an important transition. AI begins to move from a tool used in isolation towards something that can support ongoing workflows.

Clarity on when to use generative versus retrieval AI improves decision-making in day-to-day usage, particularly in environments where accuracy and context matter.

Impact Participants left with a clearer understanding of how to use AI more deliberately within their roles. Confidence increased in both prompting and in exploring more advanced capabilities.

The session created early momentum towards more structured use of AI, particularly through the introduction of skills and agent-based thinking. It also reinforced a shared language across the group, supporting more consistent internal conversations about AI.

What Happens Next Given the maturity of the group, progression into Stage 4 of the AI Transformation Playbook is the natural next step. This involves applying AI literacy to real workflows, building reusable prompts, tools, and early solutions that deliver practical value.

Future sessions would focus on structured experimentation, iteration, and collaborative development of use cases aligned to business priorities.

Closing Insight

For organisations already engaging with AI, the shift is not about starting adoption but about bringing structure to what already exists. When that structure is introduced, progress accelerates and usage becomes more consistent, repeatable and aligned to real work