Coleg y Cymoedd’s AI-Powered Student Recruitment Assistant Drives Record Enrolment Growth and £5.9M in Financial Gains

Welsh College pioneers UK’s first bilingual AI recruitment assistant, securing government funding for AI-driven learning innovations

Cardiff, UK – 11 March 2025 – Coleg y Cymoedd, one of Wales’ largest further education providers, has achieved a groundbreaking transformation in student recruitment through the implementation of artificial intelligence. Partnering with ICS.AI, a leader in AI solutions for the public sector, the college has developed ARNY, the UK’s first bilingual AI-powered student recruitment assistant, delivering significant financial benefits and operational efficiencies.

Since launching, ARNY has contributed to an 18% increase in student enrolment, driving a financial impact of over £5.9 million in tuition revenue growth and cost savings. The AI assistant has handled more than 5,000 queries, engaging in 3,000+ conversations while supporting students in both English and Welsh—ensuring compliance with the Welsh Language Act.

“The introduction of ARNY has transformed our student recruitment process,” said Rory Meredith, Director of Digital Strategy and Innovation at Coleg y Cymoedd. “Providing 24/7 bilingual support ensures that no student enquiry goes unanswered, and it has allowed us to reach prospective students in ways we never could before. The results speak for themselves—higher enrolment, better engagement, and significant cost savings.”

AI-Driven Recruitment: A New Era for Further Education

Coleg y Cymoedd serves over 10,000 students across four campuses—Aberdare, Rhondda, Nantgarw, and Ystrad Mynach—offering a vast range of full-time and part-time courses. Managing high enquiry volumes, particularly outside working hours, was a key challenge. Traditional methods placed a strain on staff resources, prompting the college to explore AI-driven automation as a solution.

Developed in partnership with ICS.AI, ARNY is built on Microsoft AI technology and pre-trained on more than 400 further education topics. The assistant seamlessly integrates with the college’s systems, automatically responding to student queries and streamlining the application process.

Notably, 46% of student interactions with ARNY take place outside office hours, enabling continuous engagement during key decision-making moments. By handling routine enquiries, the AI assistant frees up the admissions team to focus on personalised student interactions, improving conversion rates.

Record-Breaking Enrolment and Retention Gains

ARNY’s impact has been immediate and measurable:

• 523 additional students enrolled (an 18% year-over-year increase)
• 443 more successful applications due to improved conversion rates (rising from 72.68% to 80.21%)
• 66 fewer early withdrawals, strengthening student retention
• £50,800 in staff time savings, allowing for a voluntary redundancy request

“This partnership is a game-changer for AI in education,” said Martin Neale, CEO of ICS.AI. “Coleg y Cymoedd’s success demonstrates how AI can enhance recruitment while delivering financial and operational efficiencies. This model sets a new standard for how further education institutions can leverage AI to improve student engagement and experience.”

Welsh Government Funding Fuels Expansion of AI Innovations

Following the success of ARNY, Coleg y Cymoedd has secured additional funding from the Welsh Government’s D2030 FE Capital Fund to expand its AI adoption strategy. The first major initiative is the rollout of a GPT-4-powered Course Recommendation Skill, which offers personalised course suggestions based on a student’s academic level, interests, and preferred campus.

The college is also piloting further AI copilots designed to enhance teaching methodologies, support learning, and reduce administrative workloads for educators.

For those interested in learning more, ICS.AI will be hosting a webinar featuring Rory Meredith, Director of Digital Strategy and Innovation at Coleg y Cymoedd, to discuss the impact of AI on student recruitment and education.