This AI agent course is the Level 4 AI and Automation Practitioner apprenticeship (ST1512). It suits business teams who need to build and approve AI agents at work, with no coding. It runs live online and takes 15 months in all.
What an AI agent is
An AI agent is given a goal. It plans the steps, uses tools such as email, a CRM or a spreadsheet, and checks with a person when its rules say it must.
A chatbot answers a question. An agent completes a task. The employer guide to AI agents sets out the fuller comparison.
The tools
Apprentices build with the tools already listed for this standard: Copilot Studio, Gemini, Power Automate, Make and Zapier. No coding is required. The same apprenticeship is taught as a Claude edition, a Microsoft Copilot edition and a Google Gemini edition, and the full standard is the Level 4 AI and Automation Practitioner apprenticeship.
What learners build
The Skills England standard maps onto the work of approving an agent. In short, learners practise five things on a real process at work:
- Deciding what to delegate, using workflow and process mapping.
- Writing clear instructions, and testing prompts until the output is useful.
- Human oversight before the agent acts, including a check for overreliance.
- Connecting the agent to a workflow with no-code methods, inside the data rules.
- Measuring results, including when automation does not help.
Course facts
| Length | 15 months in all, with 12 months live online. Closed cohorts can take an 8 month fast track. |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Live online, with Coachy, the AI tutor, between sessions. |
| Qualifications | Up to five alongside the apprenticeship: BCS Foundation in AI, Microsoft AB-730, NCFE AI Prompt Mastery, NCFE Data and NCFE Cyber Security Practices. |
| Assessment | NQual is the assessment partner. |
| Results | 72% distinction rate across TESS apprenticeships, from results in 2024 to 2026, against a UK average of about 33%. ST1512 was approved in December 2025, so no provider has ST1512 results yet. |
Leaders who approve agents
People who will approve agents, rather than build them, can take AI Adoption, Procurement and Governance (AU0010). It is one of the Level 5 AI leadership units: about 30 hours, with no end point assessment. The set of three units is on the AI leadership apprenticeship units page.
Frequently asked questions
What is this AI agent course?
It is the Level 4 AI and Automation Practitioner apprenticeship (ST1512). Business teams learn to build and approve AI agents at work, with no coding. It is live online and takes 15 months in all.
Do I need to code to build an AI agent on this course?
No. Apprentices build with Copilot Studio, Gemini, Power Automate, Make and Zapier. The programme is for non-technical professionals.
How long does the AI agent course take?
15 months in all, with 12 months of live online training. Closed cohorts can take an 8 month fast track. Coachy, the AI tutor, is with every learner between sessions.
What qualifications sit alongside the apprenticeship?
Up to five: BCS Foundation in AI, Microsoft AB-730, NCFE AI Prompt Mastery, NCFE Data and NCFE Cyber Security Practices. NQual is the assessment partner.
What if leaders need to approve agents rather than build them?
The Level 5 unit AI Adoption, Procurement and Governance (AU0010) is the short route for leaders. It is about 30 hours and has no end point assessment.
Book a 30 minute discovery call
Thirty minutes with TESS. We will match the route to the role and the funding position.
Book a 30 minute discovery call