How do I train staff in AI who have no computer of their own?

First establish who among them actually works with AI — and for that group, schedule learning time as paid working hours on a company-provided device, not as a spare-time task on a personal phone. For everyone else the training does not apply, because the obligation attaches to usage rather than to the employment contract.

That is the uncomfortable but relieving answer. In a manufacturing company with 200 employees, 60 people often sit at a desk while 140 work in production, the warehouse, assembly, or shipping. Planning AI training for all 200 means planning a project that will fail on scheduling. Planning it for the wrong people burns budget and trust at the same time.

This post sorts out the mapping, names the routes that work in shift operations, and explains how the evidence comes about along the way.

How do I train staff in AI who have no computer of their own?

Through a role mapping before the training, paid learning time in short units, and a device provided by the company. In practice that means a terminal or tablet near the workplace, fixed slots in the shift plan, and units short enough to fit into a break. The learning paths of the PASSION4IT Academy are cut into short units that run alongside daily work; two to three hours per person is enough for the shared part, spread across several weeks.

What does not work is the classic seminar day. With multiple sites or shift operations, scheduling alone becomes a project, and the downtime costs more than the training.

Do I really have to train everyone?

No. The obligation under Article 4 of the AI Act has applied since 2 February 2025 and requires measures to foster AI literacy among people involved in the operation and use of AI systems. It attaches to actual involvement, not to headcount. A warehouse worker operating a handheld scanner terminal with no AI in it falls outside it.

That makes the mapping the real work, and it stays with the company. It is not a small job either: AI features now sit inside quality inspection, maintenance planning, and shift scheduling, and anyone operating such a system or acting on its output is involved. The claim that “our shop floor doesn’t use AI” rarely survives scrutiny — but neither does “all 200 need the same programme”.

Where the mapping lands determines the depth. Someone using AI only for drafting text needs different training from someone acting on an AI-assisted pre-assessment inside a decision process.

Which routes work in shift operations?

Three patterns have proven workable, and they can be combined.

The provided device at the place of work. A terminal in the workshop or a tablet at the line, of the kind already needed for mandatory training anyway. The advantage is that nobody leaves the operation and attendance appears in the shift plan.

Coupling to existing mandatory briefings. Occupational safety and fire protection run annually, the logistics are established, and the time slots are accepted. Attaching the AI units there avoids inventing a new process.

An own account for those who have one. In many companies a substantial share of shop-floor staff now holds a company account for shift planning or time recording. Where that is the case, the route already exists.

What appears in none of these patterns: asking people to do it privately on their own phone in their own time. That is legally awkward, it lowers completion rates, and it produces exactly the resistance that gave mandatory training its reputation.

How does the evidence come about?

As a by-product, provided the units are recorded individually. Solid evidence has three parts — the mapping of which roles work with AI and what training they need, the delivered training with a content overview and a participation record per person, and a date for review. The Academy’s progress tracking supplies the second part; a certificate on its own is the weakest form of evidence.

For staff without their own computer, the first part matters more. A company that has documented why a role is not involved with AI gives a better account of itself than one presenting 200 certificates having never done the mapping. How such a record is built is covered in how to document AI training.

What does it cost?

€59 per person per year at list price for the AI module including the AI licence. In a company with 200 employees where the mapping identifies 90 people as involved with AI, that is €5,310 a year instead of €11,800 for everyone. Travel and downtime costs disappear because nobody leaves the business for a seminar day — in shift operations that is the larger item.

The mapping is therefore not only a compliance question but the single item with the greatest leverage on the price.

Conclusion

For staff without a computer of their own, the bottleneck is not technology but planning. The mapping decides how many licences are needed; the provided device and the slot in the shift plan decide whether the training gets completed; recording each unit decides whether evidence exists at the end.

Anyone wanting to sort this out for their own operation starts with the role mapping. Thirty minutes is enough to establish how many people are actually affected and which route works within your own shift model.

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Further resources

• How do I train 50 employees in AI without classroom time and without high costs? — the rollout plan this post builds on.
• How do I document AI training as evidence for the regulator? — how the three-part record is built.
• What content does an AI training for the workforce need? — how the content is tiered by role.

Frequently asked questions

Do production and warehouse staff need AI training?

Only if they are involved in the operation or use of AI systems. Article 4 of the AI Act attaches to actual involvement, not to the employment contract. In production, AI now frequently sits inside quality inspection, maintenance planning, and shift scheduling — anyone operating such a system or acting on its output is covered. The mapping per role remains the company’s task.

Can I ask employees to complete the training privately on their own phone?

It is not advisable. Mandatory training is working time, and using private devices for it is legally awkward. In practice it also lowers completion rates. The workable route is a company-provided device and a slot in the shift plan.

How much time does AI training take per person?

Two to three hours for the shared part, spread across several weeks in short units alongside daily work. Roles with deeper AI usage need more. A classic seminar day is the most expensive route in shift operations, because the downtime exceeds the training cost.

What does AI training cost if only part of the workforce is affected?

€59 per person per year at list price for the AI module including the AI licence. If 90 of 200 employees are affected, that is €5,310 a year instead of €11,800 for everyone. The role mapping is therefore the item with the greatest leverage on the price.

How do I evidence that a role does not need training?

Through the documented mapping. A record consists of the mapping of which roles work with AI, the delivered training with participation records, and a review date. A reasoned mapping that excludes a role is part of that record and gets revisited at the next review.