TESS Group
Programme brochure
2026 / 27 intake
Level 4 Apprenticeship · ST1512 · 12 months delivery + 3 months EPA

AI & Automation
Practitioner.

The AI apprenticeship for every department. Turn your team into in-house AI practitioners who use Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini safely, then design, build and maintain the AI agents that take real work off the team. No coding. Fully levy-funded for eligible employers.

3 to 5
Accredited qualifications
included
15mo
Delivery
+ Gateway & EPA
Levy
Fully funded for
eligible employers
4.9/5
from 776+ reviews
(Google and Trustpilot combined)
1212 AI & Automation modules, ST1512 curriculum across 12 months
BBCS Foundation Certificate in AI, Chartered Institute for IT
MMicrosoft AB-730 AI Business Professional (or Google AI Essentials)
NNCFE Level 3 AI Prompt Mastery, TESS exclusive CQ
CCoachy AI tutor, 24/7, EPA-safe by design
★ Next cohorts · 26 Oct, 20 Nov & 14 Dec 2026
Reserve a place for your team.
Open cohorts start most months. Scan to book a 30-min discovery call with TESS.
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Awarding partners Ofsted Good CMI BCS NCFE Microsoft Copilot
tessgroup.co.uk
0333 0523 003 · info@thetessgroup.com
AI & Automation PractitionerLevel 4 · ST1512
Who it's for
For every department

Built for the people who actually run your business.

HR, Finance, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Admin, Compliance, L&D. No coding. No technical prerequisites. Plain-English AI prompting, no-code workflow automation, real workplace projects. 12 months delivery + 3-month End-Point Assessment with NQual.

⚙️
OperationsProcess leads · COOs · service managers · operations PAs
👥
People & HRHR partners · L&D leads · talent · people ops PAs
📊
FinanceFP&A · controllers · bookkeepers · finance PAs
🎯
MarketingBrand · content · CRM · social media · marketing PAs
⚡
Sales & CXAccount managers · CX leads · support · BDRs · sales PAs
📋
Admin & PAEAs · PAs · office managers · document control
🛡️
Compliance & RiskCompliance analysts · risk · DPOs · audit · governance PAs
📚
L&D and TrainingTraining coordinators · learning designers · LMS · L&D PAs
Why now

Six reasons this matters in 2026.

01Reclaim 10+ hrs / weekAI-powered automation eliminates repetitive tasks across every role.
02Every departmentBuilt for the people who run your business, not just IT.
03Measurable ROIReal workplace projects from Month 3. Results visible in weeks, not years.
043 to 5 qualificationsBCS, Microsoft and NCFE bundled in at no extra cost.
05Levy-fundedPaid from your levy account. No cost to non-levy employers for apprentices aged 16 to 24.
06Coachy AI tutor24/7, scoped to ST1512. Included.
AI & Automation PractitionerLevel 4 · ST1512
The qualifications
The Stack

Up to five accredited qualifications. All bundled, all funded.

The apprenticeship is the ST1512 AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 standard. Industry-recognised credentials from Microsoft, BCS and NCFE are bundled into the funded apprenticeship at no extra cost.

BCS
Standard

BCS Foundation Certificate in AI

The chartered industry body for IT. Foundation-level AI literacy across machine learning, ethics and responsible use, awarded by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Chartered Lifetime
Microsoft
Standard

Microsoft AB-730 AI Business Professional

Microsoft's globally-recognised Applied Skills credential. Demonstrates working fluency on Copilot, the platform most UK enterprises already pay for. Or Google AI Essentials for Google Workspace organisations.

Professional Lab-assessed
NCFE
Standard

NCFE Level 3 AI Prompt Mastery

NCFE-accredited credential in prompt engineering, the skill that turns a generic AI subscription into a daily productivity multiplier across the team. TESS-exclusive Customised Qualification.

Level 3 CQ Portfolio
NCFE
Optional

NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Data

Working with data: cleaning, analysing, visualising and drawing defensible conclusions. The natural pair with AI, stops AI being a black box for your team.

Level 3 Optional extra
NCFE
Optional

NCFE Level 3 Cyber Security Practices

Workplace cyber security fundamentals. Particularly relevant once AI is touching customer data, a credibility signal for any organisation with a CISO.

Level 3 Optional extra
Coachy
Plus · Included with every learner

Coachy, your AI tutor, 24/7.

Scoped to the ST1512 standard and EPA-safe by design. Ask questions about AI tools, automation concepts, EPA prep or your workplace project, any time, mobile or desktop.

AI & Automation PractitionerLevel 4 · ST1512
The curriculum
12 modules · 5 phases

From AI-curious team to AI-confident operators.

Five phases. Twelve modules. By Month 4 they've built a working AI agent. By Month 8 they've piloted it safely. By Month 11 they've shipped a real solution on the platforms you already use.

00 Month 0

Get on the start line

M00 Onboarding · AI diagnostic · Coachy & OneFile set up
01 Month 1

Find your bearings

M01 AI Foundations, Copilot, Claude, Gemini side by side. RICF prompting. DPO-signable AUP by week 4.
02 Months 2-5

Discover & Build

M02 Process Discovery, SIPOC, swimlane, value-stream mapping
M03 Workflow Automation, Power Automate, Make, Zapier, Lovable
M04 Agentic AI, Copilot Studio, multi-agent, RAG, ReAct reasoning
M05 AI Integration & Assurance, APIs, ISO 42001, guardrails
03 Months 6-8

Govern & Deliver

M06 Data, Decisions & Data Law, UK GDPR, DPIAs, retention
M07 Responsible AI, bias auditing, Equality Act, accessibility
M08 Pilot, Test & Assure, control groups, regression, bias testing
04 Months 9-10

Take the team with you

M09 Leading AI Adoption, change frameworks · centre of excellence
M10 AI Strategy & Value, TCO · ROI · board business case
05 Month 11

Ship something real

M11 Applied AI Mastery, ambitious capstone build, live in your business. Copilot, Gemini & Claude hands-on day. Gateway readiness.
★ End-Point Assessment with NQual

Assessed by NQual. Results in about a week.

Two parts. A Work-Based Project scoped from Months 2 to 8, written up and submitted at Gateway. A Professional Discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence. Your TESS skills coach manages all EPA admin behind the scenes.

72% distinction rate across TESS
AI & Automation PractitionerLevel 4 · ST1512
Compare · Invest · Book
How TESS compares

How TESS compares to the rest of the market.

The same ST1512 standard. Very different delivery. Up to five qualifications, no coding, Coachy AI tutor 24/7 and a 72% distinction rate across TESS.

What you get TESS
AI & Automation L4		 Typical AI
L4 provider		 Generic AI
workshop
BCS Foundation Certificate in AI (Chartered)✓✕✕
12 AI & Automation modules across 12 months✓Partial✕
Microsoft AB-730 OR Google AI Essentials✓✕✕
NCFE Level 3 AI Prompt Mastery (TESS exclusive)✓✕✕
Chartered, lifetime, portable credential✓✓✕
Coachy AI tutor, 24/7, included✓✕✕
Funded from your levy (ST1512 apprenticeship)✓✓✕
Funding

Fully funded for eligible employers. Levy payers: paid from your levy account, up to the funding band maximum. Non-levy employers: no cost for apprentices aged 16 to 24, and 95% government funded from age 25.

  • All qualifications included, BCS + NCFE + NCFE L3 + Microsoft AB-730 + BCS Foundation.
  • No transition cost, open enrolment on a live ST1512 standard.
Ready when you are

Book a 30-min discovery call with TESS.

No obligation. We'll walk you through how the programme works for your team, your sector and your Levy.

Book a 30-minute call with TESS 0333 0523 003 info@thetessgroup.com
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