AI Done responsibly...
No coding experience required
Most people hear AI and assume they need to know how to programme. You don't.
Industry certifications
Recognised certifications from BCS, Microsoft and ITIL included within the programme.
Government funded
£18,000 training programme fully funded by employer's payment into Growth & Skills Levy
Inside the AI and Automation Apprenticeship
Have you identified the areas where automation can deliver the greatest improvements in efficiency and impact?
Programme overview
What you’ll master
Learners leave this programme with practical capability to apply AI and automation within their organisation.
They develop:
- A Level 4 AI and Automation Practitioner Apprenticeship
- The ability to identify and prioritise automation opportunities
- Skills in process mapping and efficiency improvement
- Practical understanding of AI tools, platforms and integrations
- Techniques for testing, evaluation and continuous improvement
- Confidence in managing risk, bias and governance
- The ability to support adoption across teams and functions
Who is it for?
This programme is ideal for:
- Operations and transformation professionals
- Digital, IT and data teams
- HR and L&D professionals supporting change
- Managers involved in improving processes and efficiency
- Organisations building internal capability in AI and automation
Learners must be England-based for at least 50% of their working hours and have been UK-based for a minimum of three years.
No advanced technical background is required. The focus is on practical application within business environments.
How you’ll learn
Learners experience a structured combination of:
- Masterclasses covering core knowledge, skills and behaviours
- AI labs exploring real-world topics such as sustainability and human-AI collaboration
- Experiential workshops with case studies and practical application
- Regular coaching and progress reviews
- A work-based project delivering measurable organisational impact
- Two tutor-led Masterclasses per month initially, reducing to one day per month thereafter, with remaining learning delivered through practical workplace application and real organisational projects.
This approach ensures learning is applied, tested and embedded throughout the programme.
Duration and Cost
13-month programme with an end-point assessment, fully funded through the Growth and Skills Levy.
Outcomes
For Employers
Use your levy. Build capability from within.
- Fully funded from Growth and Skills Levy
- No recruitment needed, upskill your existing team
- Staff keep working throughout
- Measurable ROI from month 3
- Pilot one champion or upskill a whole department
For Learners
No technical background needed. No personal cost.
- Worth £18,000, free to eligible learners
- No degree, no coding, no technical background required
- Just 2 days/month for the first 6 months, then 1 day/month with: 420 off-the-job hours comprised of 15 masterclasses (2 per month until month 6, then 1 per month thereafter). The remaining hours are for the application of learning in the workplace.
- Live one-to-one sessions with a personal tutor. Sessions are not pre-recorded
- Build a real project inside your own workplace
Qualification
On completion of the programme, apprentices will hold:
- Level 4 AI and Automation Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard
- BCS Foundation Certificate in AI
- Microsoft AI Business Professional
- ITIL Foundation
- BCS Certificate in Information Security
Programme dates
Register by mid-August for the October 26 start.
- Months 1-6 – 2 days per month
Live online tutor sessions.
Identify a real workplace challenge. Build your first AI workflow. - Months 7-13 – 1 day per month
Live online tutor sessions.
Scale and govern your solution. Implement. Evidence of measurable impact. - On Programme Assessment
Supported, structured.
Work based project, Professional Discussion with Presentation or Portfolio of Evidence.
Register your interest now
Complete the form, and we’ll get in touch.
Build AI confidence across your organisation
Many organisations are already experimenting with AI. The next step is ensuring it is adopted consistently, confidently and responsibly. Consider your current position:
Are your teams confident in applying AI within their roles, not just aware of its potential?
Are AI tools being used consistently across your organisation to support productivity and collaboration?
Do you have clear guidance in place for acceptable use, data protection and AI governance?
Have you identified the areas where automation can deliver the greatest improvements in efficiency and impact?
If you can answer these questions with confidence, you’re well on your way to building a strong AI foundation. If not, this programme provides the structure, guidance and practical skills to help your organisation get there.
What this is, and what it isn’t
This is not a bootcamp. It’s not a YouTube playlist. It’s not a six-week certificate from a platform that didn’t exist eighteen months ago. It is an Ofqual-regulated AI and Automation Apprenticeship, funded by the Growth & Skills Levy (previously the Apprenticeship Levy), designed for the half-decade in which
AI stops being a curiosity and starts being how work actually gets done. We teach four things:
How to build automation in no-code
How to extend it in low-code
How to evaluate it like a grown-up
How to govern it so everyone sleeps at night.
Questions you probably have
Can I keep doing my normal job?
Yes. The programme is designed so you carry on in your role throughout. There is no career break and no need to go full-time into learning.
Are sessions pre-recorded or live?
Live. All sessions are online with a real tutor, not pre-recorded video. You can ask questions, share progress and get direct feedback.
What will I build?
You’ll identify a real process challenge in your organisation and build an AI-powered workflow to address it, from pilot through to live implementation.
Is this right for my organisation?
If your team has any process-heavy, repetitive or data-reliant work, yes. We can also discuss a sector-specific approach for FE colleges, public sector and education organisations.
The Activate Advantage
What makes our AI and Automation Practitioner programme different?
// Applied AI, not theoretical learning
Learners work on real organisational processes, identifying inefficiencies and developing practical automation solutions that can be implemented in their role.
// Responsible AI embedded throughout
Ethics, governance, bias and risk management are integrated across the programme, ensuring learners can apply AI in a way that aligns with organisational standards.
// Experiential learning that builds confidence
Workshops include case studies, simulations and practical activities where learners test, challenge and refine AI outputs in realistic scenarios.
// Human and AI working together
The programme focuses on how people guide and collaborate with AI systems, supporting better decision making, creativity and productivity.
Find out more
A 30-minute intro call with one of our programme leads. No pitch deck — we’ll
talk through your situation, what you’d build, and whether this is the right fit.