How CDL Boosted Copilot Adoption to 74% in a Single Day

When over 70% of employees rate themselves as beginners at using Microsoft Copilot, the gap between having AI tools and actually using them becomes clear. City Developments Limited (CDL) set out to close that gap — and the results speak for themselves.

The Challenge: Access Without Confidence

Many organisations today have rolled out AI-powered tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot across their workforce. But providing access is only half the equation. CDL recognised that their people needed more than a licence — they needed the confidence and practical know-how to integrate Copilot into their daily workflows.

Before the Learning Symposium, the majority of CDL employees described themselves as Copilot beginners. The question was not whether AI could help — it was how to make that first step feel achievable.

The Approach: Learning That Feels Practical

CDL’s Learning Symposium 2026 was designed to be hands-on, engaging, and grounded in real work scenarios. Rather than generic demonstrations, participants explored how Copilot supports collaboration and content creation in ways directly relevant to their day-to-day roles.

The focus was intentional: build familiarity through doing, not just watching. When learning feels practical and enjoyable, confidence follows naturally.

The Results: A Measurable Shift in Confidence

By the end of the one-day event, a post-event survey of 215 participants showed:

• 74% said they are more likely to use Copilot in their daily work
• 67% said they are excited to explore more Copilot tools
• 55% said they are open to participating in more Learning Fests

For a single-day learning experience, that shift from beginner hesitation to active willingness is significant.

What This Means for Your Organisation

The CDL experience highlights a pattern we see across organisations exploring AI adoption: the bigger challenge is not access to tools — it is building the confidence to use them effectively.

When onboarding moves beyond setup guides and into structured, practical learning, teams don’t just adopt AI tools. They find genuine value in them.

If your organisation is looking to move from Copilot deployment to Copilot adoption, get in touch with our team to explore how we can design a learning experience for your people.

This article expands on our LinkedIn post about CDL’s Learning Symposium 2026. We are grateful to the CDL team for the trust and partnership throughout the journey.