Connecting Purpose with Opportunity
As part of Cognizant’s social impact, which includes the employee volunteering programme Outreach, a recent initiative brought together expertise and community impact in collaboration with the Newham Data and Our Newham Learning & Skills (ONLS). This partnership, rooted in a shared commitment to supporting schools, start-ups and enabling business growth, focused on creating an experience that equips early-career individuals with practical technology skills.
The initiative reflects Cognizant Synapse goal to upskill two million learners with digital skills by the end of 2030 and mobilize knowledge and resources to drive inclusion in technology, advance education, and promote technology for social good. When the opportunity emerged, a session on Prompt Engineering was selected - a skill increasingly essential in today’s digital landscape. Designed to provide actionable insights and real-world applications, the session demonstrated how technology can empower individuals and open pathways to innovation.
Designing the Workshop
The starting point was clear: how can students and job seekers leverage AI not merely as consumers, but as active and creative problem solvers? This question shaped the design of the initiative.
Planning spanned five to six weeks, led by our internal volunteering team under Midhusa’s guidance. The process was iterative - refining content, testing approaches, and aligning with the ONLS team to ensure relevance for their audience.
Given the breadth of AI - covering ethics, privacy, and model training - the focus narrowed to a practical skill: Prompt Engineering. The objective was straightforward: equip participants with a capability they could apply immediately in job searches, academic work, or entrepreneurial ventures.
To structure the session, the social impact team’s five-point prompting framework was adapted for this context. This framework provided a clear, actionable approach to crafting effective prompts and demonstrated how structured thinking can unlock AI’s potential.
1. Role - Who am I?
Define the perspective or expertise you want the AI to adopt when responding.
2. Instruction - What do I want?
Clearly state the task, question, or objective you’d like the AI to address.
3. Context - Why do I want it?
Provide background or situational details to help the AI tailor its response appropriately.
4. Data - What do I already know?
Include any relevant facts and figures the AI should consider to improve accuracy.
5. Output - How do I want to see it?
Specify the desired format for the response – e.g. report, list, exec summary, action plan.
This framework enabled participants to transform vague questions into clear, structured prompts that deliver meaningful results. It provided a practical foundation for the content, ensuring the session focused on actionable skills rather than abstract concepts.
Delivering the Session
The session brought together around twenty participants from varied backgrounds - some familiar with AI tools, and others encountering them for the first time.
It opened with a concise overview of AI’s capabilities, showcasing examples across text, image, music, code, and video generation. The focus then shifted to what matters most: maximizing the value of text-based tools through effective prompting.
Using the five-point framework, the group explored how a basic question such as “How can I manage my time better?” could evolve into a precise, context-rich prompt. Each iteration sparked discussion and refinement, turning the workshop into a collaborative exercise in structured thinking.
Practical activities followed, where participants applied the framework to real-world scenarios, including:
- Crafting AI-assisted cover letters based on their own CVs.
- Creating LinkedIn icebreakers to enhance professional networking.
- Using AI to draft personalised event emails, aligning their motivations and questions to specific speakers.
From these exercises, not only did attendees walk away with new skills, but also with a sense of confidence in using AI thoughtfully and strategically.
Reflections and What’s Next
The workshop underscored the purpose of Cognizant’s social impact work: creating access, building confidence, and bridging inclusion gaps in technology. It was more than a knowledge-sharing exercise - it was a practical step toward digital empowerment.
The partnership with ONLS exemplified how businesses and community organisations can collaborate to prepare the next generation for a technology-driven future. Feedback from both partners and participants was overwhelmingly positive, with strong interest in continuing similar initiatives.
Feedback from Cognizant’s partners at Newham as well as survey responses from the learners was overwhelmingly positive with calls for more of the same. Reflecting on the day, Head of ONLS Jaspal Dhaliwal and Newham AI Lead Nathan Nagaiah said: “The session perfectly combined technical knowledge with employability outcomes, helping residents gain confidence and real-world AI skills” and that “This collaboration demonstrated how Newham Council and Cognizant can work together to make AI accessible and meaningful for local communities. It has laid the foundation for a wider partnership focused on digital inclusion, workforce development, and innovation”.
Learners echoed these sentiments, praising the balance of theory and hands-on practice. Many were surprised by how adjusting elements of the five-point prompting model could dramatically change outputs - sparking reflective conversations among participants and volunteers alike.
Participants left the session with ready-to-use prompt templates and there was lots of ambition in the room as where to apply these skills next. As AI continues to evolve, our teams are excited to keep building initiatives like this and helping people not just understand AI, but to use it to shape their futures.
