AI-powered learning gives Australia’s overlooked frontline workers a second chance

Wednesday 7 October 2026, Sydney, Australia. Staffbase, the first AI-native employee experience platform, recently announced a strategic reseller agreement with Cornerstone, a global leader in workforce readiness solutions, to deliver personalised, AI-powered learning, compliance, performance, and talent marketplace solutions to millions of non-desk Australian employees.  

Non-desk workers in sectors like manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and transportation make up a significant share of Australia's workforce. But they are often disconnected from corporate learning and communication systems, which are mainly developed and optimised for desk-based employees. This leads to higher turnover, skills gaps, and reduced engagement compared to desk-based teams. It's a critical issue as organisation's navigate Australia's evolving skills landscape and increasing pressure around workforce readiness and governance. 

Together, Staffbase and Cornerstone bridge this gap by integrating Cornerstone Learning, which gives organisations AI-powered tools to create, update, and surface relevant training content directly within the Staffbase Employee App. Learning can also be accessed through Staffbase's AI assistant that unifies knowledge and services across systems, with voice-enabled support, the only one built to scale across frontline-heavy organisations. Personalised content becomes accessible, engaging, and mobile-first. It fits seamlessly into employees' daily workflows, addressing the changing nature of learning, which is more real-time and conversational. 

Rick Swaleh, Head of Partnerships, APJ at Staffbase, said the partnership addresses a growing challenge for organisations with large frontline workforces: "As organisations across APJ accelerate their adoption of AI, ensuring frontline employees have easy, equitable access to learning and development is becoming increasingly important. Our partnership with Cornerstone regionally brings personalised, AI-powered learning directly into the flow of work through the Staffbase Employee App, helping organisations strengthen compliance, build critical skills and support retention. For frontline-heavy industries, it represents an important step towards closing the learning gap and ensuring every employee has the opportunity to develop and succeed." 

Brenton Smith, Vice President, Asia Pacific & Japan at Cornerstone, said: "This partnership reflects our shared commitment to closing the learning gap for frontline workers across Asia Pacific & Japan. By bringing Cornerstone Learning, powered by Cornerstone Workforce AI™, directly into the Staffbase Employee App, we're giving organisations a more effective way to build workforce readiness at the exact moment of need, wherever their people work. We're proud to partner with Staffbase to help organisations across the region develop more capable, engaged and future-ready frontline teams." 

The enhanced solution is available to organisations across Australia immediately, offering: 

• Personalised learning hub: Upcoming, in-progress and completed training surfaced directly within the Cornerstone Workforce AI experience in the mobile app. 
• Seamless access: No extra login required, clicking a course takes employees straight into their training within Cornerstone. 
• Smart reminders: Automated in-app and push notifications to ensure no course is missed. 
• Effortless content discovery: Explore recommended courses by topic, with easy sign-up for new learning content. 

For media enquiries, contact: Gemma Manning on 0404 539 400 or gemma@manningandcogroup.com.media enquiries, contact: Gemma Manning on 0404 539 400 or gemma@manningandcogroup.com. ~ENDS  

About Staffbase. Staffbase is the first AI-native Employee Experience Platform. With Staffbase, companies reach everyone across app, intranet, email, SMS, digital signage, and Microsoft 365 - alongside new experiences like personalised podcasts and an AI assistant. More than 1500 enterprise organisations rely on Staffbase to inspire people and drive measurable impact.