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The Textile Services Association (TSA) has announced an educational webinar looking at the opportunities offered by generative AI systems. It will also consider how the laundry industry can benefit from a new government funded training programme, aimed at non-technical staff, on how to use AI technology.
The TSA webinar takes place on the 10th February 2026. Its agenda includes a look at how AI delivers returns on investment, along with a practical adoption playbook and live demos. It will also give a more detailed exploration of the training and funding available in the government course, which is delivered by AICore, an AI skills partner for the Department for Education. Two of AICore’s directors, Haron Shams and Christian Kerr, are leading the TSA hosted webinar.
“This webinar will show TSA members exactly where AI can create ROI, with demos and tailored user-cases so attendees leave with actions they can apply immediately,” says Kerr. “As an AI skills partner for the Department for Education, AiCore turns AI from ‘interesting’ into day-to-day impact through practical, role-specific training that helps teams save time, improve quality, and work more efficiently.”
“We are delighted to be able offer this AI training webinar,” says Emma Kiviniemi Wilson, the TSA’s Managing Director. “We hope it will provide our members with the information they need to allow them to use tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot safely, confidently, and productively within their businesses.”
David Pool, Data and AI Development Director at QA, gave a talk on AI at the TSA’s 2025 Autumn conference. Although the conference marked his first foray into the world of commercial laundries, he recognised the vast untapped potential AI could have within the sector. “The laundry industry is in a great position to benefit from AI,” he says. “Laundries produce a lot of data through their day to day activities, and if they are able to present it to AI models in the right way, they will be able to get real insights that will allow them to work more effectively and efficiently.”
The webinar will also explain the intentions behind the government’s new Level 3 GenAI/Digital Support Technician training programme and how to make use of it. This is a 13 month course which aims to give non-technical staff the knowledge they need to use common AI systems such as ChatGPT and Copilot securely and productively, allowing them to become champions of generative AI technology within their organisations.
Students on the government course will be expected to commit to three hours of training a week working with consultants and a range of experts on the subject, as well as completing the online portfolio.
By providing the webinar in February, the TSA hopes to offer its members two key angles. The first is a chance to get closer to the topic of AI in a broader sense, the second is to help them understand more about the government’s course and why it might be useful to them.
TSA member companies large enough to pay the Apprenticeship Levy can use this to fully fund the training of any staff members wishing to take the government course. This will help to upskill employees with the knowledge needed to ensure AI can be adopted responsibly and effectively, while ensuring the levy contributions are used before they expire. The course costs £650 per person for smaller companies that do not pay the levy (those with an annual payroll of less than £3 million).
“Although it’s a vast topic and new territory for us all, AI could offer a great opportunity to improve efficiency across the industry,” says Kiviniemi Wilson. “We believe the government course could be relevant to all our members, no matter the size. That said, larger companies should definitely not overlook the fact that they can make full use of the Apprenticeship Levy to fund this training.”
TSA members interested in attending the webinar can access it here: TSA AI Webinar | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams.
