The AI Education Revolution

Building FinTech’s AI-Ready Workforce

Recorded live at the AI in Capital Markets Summit in New York City, this episode of FinTech Focus TV brings together host Toby and guest Kieran Seaward, Director of Sales at Neueda, for a powerful discussion on the future of talent, upskilling, and AI training in the capital markets and financial technology sectors.

With a long-standing reputation as a trusted partner in training and consultancy, Neueda has emerged as one of Belfast’s standout FinTech success stories. In this episode, Kieran provides deep insight into how the company is shaping the future of learning for financial institutions, especially as the demands of artificial intelligence continue to reshape how we work. For a FinTech recruitment business like Harrington Starr, the conversation hits directly at the challenges and opportunities facing hiring managers and jobseekers alike.

Belfast’s Home-Grown FinTech Success Story

Kieran opens the conversation by explaining his relatively recent appointment at Neueda, having joined the company only three and a half months before the recording. Despite being new in post, his familiarity with Neueda runs deep due to his previous experiences engaging with the firm while in data management. He describes Neueda as a “big Belfast success story,” noting its long-standing presence and stellar reputation in Northern Ireland.

Neueda was founded by David Bole more than two decades ago with a clear mission: to help major technology and financial services firms build effective teams quickly in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The goal was to enable new hires to start delivering value from day one through comprehensive and relevant training. What began as a relatively small operation of ten people has now grown to a team of over fifty, supplemented by a strong global network of instructors and subject matter experts.

As Kieran explains, this transformation has not only made Neueda a key player in local markets but has also established it as a credible partner for some of the world’s largest financial institutions. From Belfast to New York, the company has become known for its commitment to building training solutions that align with the rapidly changing demands of the FinTech and capital markets landscape.

Addressing the Global Training Challenge in Financial Services

Toby and Kieran dive into one of the most persistent issues in capital markets hiring: the struggle to retain talent and keep people engaged after the hiring process concludes. This concern is particularly pressing in financial technology environments, where constant evolution and innovation are the norm.

Kieran outlines the fundamental issue with the traditional training models used across many global firms. Often, organisations invest heavily in onboarding but then fall short when it comes to continuous development. Many still rely on outdated, generic training materials, which are repeated year after year regardless of technological changes or role-specific developments. As a result, new hires quickly disengage, especially in a high-churn environment like capital markets where the average tenure can be as low as 18 months.

At Neueda, the approach is fundamentally different. Training programmes are designed from the ground up, based on specific business goals and the desired outcomes for different employee personas. Rather than apply a one-size-fits-all methodology, Neueda focuses on crafting unique pathways for business operations staff, technologists, and leaders. This level of specificity helps employees feel their training is relevant and directly applicable to their roles, increasing both performance and retention.

Why AI Training Must Be Continuously Updated

One of the most important themes running through this episode is the urgent need for current, dynamic AI training. Recorded live at the AI in Capital Markets Summit, it’s no surprise that much of the conversation centres around the changing demands of AI across financial services.

Kieran stresses that unlike other areas of training, such as software or business systems, AI education must be up to date “to the minute.” He points out that if an institution’s AI training materials are even three months out of date, they may already be irrelevant. One striking example he shares involves a major banking client in New York whose internal AI training programme is more than three years old.

To combat this, Neueda prioritises continuous improvement. Their training delivery model includes regular feedback loops from learners, managers, and learning and development professionals. This data-driven feedback ensures that the content evolves in real time, reflecting the latest developments in machine learning, prompt engineering, large language models, and data management.

The instructors themselves are also a core strength. Kieran highlights that Neueda’s trainers are not just facilitators; many are global subject matter experts with the calibre to speak at summits like the one where this podcast was recorded. Some are even working in areas like quantum computing, ensuring Neueda stays not just reactive but proactive in responding to emerging technologies.

Talent Retention Through Strategic Upskilling

The discussion soon moves into one of the most financially critical areas of team building: retention. Kieran shares that by simply extending the average tenure of a software engineer from 18 months to 24 months, companies can unlock massive productivity gains. It’s not just about avoiding the cost of rehiring; it’s about getting more out of the talent you’ve already acquired.

Upskilling becomes the mechanism by which this can be achieved. Employees who feel invested in are more likely to stay. Certification programmes, like those offered by Neueda, serve two purposes: they provide employees with recognised credentials that support their careers, and they offer employers a reliable indicator of workforce development.

Kieran also touches on the importance of developing what he calls “par skills”, a more compelling rebrand of the outdated term “soft skills.” These include essential capabilities like critical thinking, leadership, communication, and managing difficult conversations. In capital markets, where the stakes are high and the pace is unrelenting, these human skills are just as valuable as technical expertise.

Scaling AI Training Across Global Institutions

Delivering training across a global financial institution is no small feat. The scale, complexity, and diversity of teams make it incredibly difficult to roll out a single programme effectively. Neueda tackles this challenge by building what Kieran refers to as “training champions”, individuals embedded within different departments who are trained to deliver the learning material themselves.

This decentralised model enables rapid rollout without sacrificing relevance or consistency. It also empowers internal staff to take ownership of upskilling, which enhances both engagement and knowledge retention. Neueda’s framework can accommodate everyone from non-technical operations staff to software engineers and data scientists, tailoring the content to meet their specific learning needs.

This level of granularity is essential in the capital markets space, where even minor changes in data literacy or automation capability can lead to significant operational advantages. For businesses struggling to hire and retain skilled staff, training champions offer a way to scale knowledge while reducing reliance on external trainers long term.

FinTech, Education, and Social Responsibility

Beyond its commercial offerings, Neueda is also deeply invested in its local community. Kieran shares how the firm offers free training to schools in Belfast, and how founder David Bole is collaborating with Kieran’s old school, St. Malachy’s College, to establish a technology centre shared across multiple local schools. The programme will include AI modules for teenagers, equipping the next generation with the tools to not only consume technology but also build and understand it.

This initiative reflects a broader theme: businesses must be proactive in preparing the future workforce, not just reacting to talent shortages when they arise. As AI begins to replace certain jobs, especially those involving routine, repeatable tasks, education becomes the first line of defence. By helping young people develop skills that can’t be automated, organisations like Neueda are contributing to long-term societal resilience.

As Kieran puts it: “Quite frankly… jobs are at risk through this… so in order to protect ourselves and our employees, we’ve got to encourage them to go through training.” Certification not only motivates people to learn, but it also provides proof of capability that protects them in an uncertain future.

FinTech Recruitment and Learning as a Combined Strategy

Neueda’s training ensures that new hires, whether they’re junior analysts or senior software engineers, hit the ground running. This model aligns perfectly with Harrington Starr’s approach to talent acquisition: placing individuals in roles where they can thrive and make a difference from the outset.

Clients consistently ask: how do we attract better talent, and how do we keep them once they’re here? The answer lies in the combination of hiring and continuous learning. And with AI, the urgency only increases. Whether it's mastering prompt engineering or understanding data governance in machine learning pipelines, the demand for AI-literate professionals is growing by the day.

Conclusion: Upskilling for the AI Era

This FinTech Focus TV episode is a powerful reminder of how much the landscape of financial technology has shifted and how quickly it continues to change. The AI revolution is not something on the horizon; it’s happening now, and those who fail to train, adapt, and evolve will fall behind.

Kieran Seaward’s insights provide a compelling case for rethinking how we view training and talent development in FinTech. Whether you’re a CTO building out an AI strategy, a candidate preparing for your next role, or a business leader concerned with retention and productivity, the message is clear: invest in your people, build meaningful learning pathways, and keep those pathways relevant to the pace of change.

At Harrington Starr, we know that recruitment is just the beginning. By partnering with companies like Neueda and fostering conversations like this, we aim to help financial services businesses build resilient, AI-ready teams for the future.