From Policy to Practice
October 2026 – Last week, thirty SkillSource and subcontractor staff from across our five-county region gathered for our second annual all-staff AI training in Wenatchee. The room held a cross-section of our organization, from classroom instructors, to career and training specialists, to support staff, and executive leadership. Different roles came together with a shared intention to make sure that our team is trained on practical and responsible AI use, strengthening our commitment to customer service and our workforce.
This year built on last year’s training, where staff first reviewed SkillSource’s initial draft AI policy. Since then, our internal AI Leadership Team has shaped that draft into an operational AI Use Policy and Guidance Framework. The team drew on resources from NAWDP, the Center for Humane Technology, Grant Associates, Microsoft, and others, along with feedback and real use cases from our own staff and teams.
What’s new. At the heart of the updated policy is a four-tier framework that guides staff through responsible use: Allowed, Allowed with Review, Restricted, and Prohibited. For example, brainstorming an email subject line sits at one end, while using AI to make automated decisions about a customer’s eligibility for services sits at the other, and is never permitted. The framework also names when human review is required, lists currently approved tools, and sets clear expectations for transparency, so customers know when AI is part of a process that affects them.
Rather than present the policy top-down, staff worked through it together. Small groups each unpacked a section and shared it back with the full team. Role-based breakouts then put the framework to work on real scenarios, asking where AI fits, where it doesn’t, and who decides. The day also included our annual training on protecting personally identifiable information (PII), a cornerstone of how we approach any AI tool.
“Going over the AI policy in an interactive way with a small group made me comfortable sharing my thoughts and ideas with three people before sharing them out to everyone.” – SkillSource staff member
What does “responsible” really mean? Words like responsible and ethical can mean different things to different people, so the training grounded them in something concrete: protecting our staff, our customers, and the world we live in. For several team members, the biggest “aha” was learning that AI can confidently make things up. These “hallucinations,” along with bias built into the data AI learns from, are why our policy treats every AI output as a draft, not the truth, with human judgment as the final authority.
Environmental impact sparked another lightbulb moment. At first, some staff were surprised that a quick AI prompt carries an energy cost. Then it clicked: something doesn’t come from nothing. Just as there is no “away” when we throw something away, everything we consume has an upstream and a downstream, and that includes data and energy. Being responsible means asking not only “Can AI do this?” but “Is AI the right tool for this?”
Built by the whole team. This policy belongs to everyone at SkillSource, and staff input has shaped it from the very first draft. Being together in person offered the chance to ask critical questions in real time that will continue to shape how we grow. One team member asked a sharp question: can we trust an AI policy that was partially shaped with AI tools? It’s a fair question, and exactly the kind of critical thinking the policy is meant to encourage. Every AI-assisted suggestion in the policy was reviewed, edited, and finalized by people, and the policy discloses that openly. Questions like this one are also why a critical thinking workshop is high on the team’s wish list for future trainings, based on a post-training survey.
Why it matters. It’s our job to equip customers with the real-world tools and skills they need to succeed in today’s workforce, and that starts with our own digital literacy. Staying ahead of systemic change means leading internally, too. By establishing internal AI policies and staff training protocols, our team is ready to guide customers through a rapidly changing labor market.
Used responsibly, AI can remove friction from certain kinds of tasks. But working more efficiently doesn’t mean we create room to pile on more work, which was emphasized in the training. The goal is to remove friction where we can in order to protect time for what matters most, like real connection with the people we serve and the kind of work that sparks creativity and joy.
“I look forward to using AI as a thinking partner, not a ‘you will do this project for me.'” – SkillSource staff member
What’s next. Staff shared feedback during the training and afterward through a staff survey. That feedback directly shapes future opportunities to learn together. The AI Leadership Team – which includes a variety of staff roles throughout the region – will reconvene in January to plan targeted microtrainings and begin building next year’s all-staff training.
“I’m just glad that we had the training in general. I’m at the bottom of the ladder as far as AI knowledge, and this really gave me a jump start.” – SkillSource staff member
Several organizations have already reached out to learn from our approach (and we are still learning, too!). If your organization is exploring AI tools and responsible integration, we’d be glad to share what we’ve learned so far. Contact Kelli Martinelli, SkillSource Communications and Outreach Manager.
See more photos from the annual AI staff training day here.
