Build a workforce that turns AI into real business impact.
TESS Group designs and delivers levy-funded apprenticeships that put modern AI to work inside your teams, from a flagship AI & Automation Practitioner programme to short Level 5 leadership units. 100% levy-funded for most UK organisations, bespoke to your business, with monthly rolling cohort starts.
Trusted by teams at 200+ UK employers
Your route to an AI-ready workforce
One flagship apprenticeship, tool-specific editions, role-based pathways and short leadership units, all levy-funded and built to put AI to work where it matters in your business.
AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4
Our cornerstone apprenticeship. Learners deliver real AI and automation projects on your priorities, building practical capability across the whole team. No coding background required, delivered live online, with an 8-month accelerated option for experienced staff.
- 100% levy-funded for most UK employers
- Live online: cohorts every month
- Real workplace AI projects, not theory
- Open to staff in any business function
Tool editions of the L4 · closed cohort
The same Level 4 apprenticeship, run as a private cohort for your organisation and built around the AI assistant your teams already use.
Microsoft Copilot edition
For Microsoft 365 organisations: everything taught and applied in Copilot across Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook.
Explore edition Level 4 · Closed cohortGoogle Gemini edition
For Google Workspace teams: delivered and applied in Gemini across Docs, Sheets, Gmail and Meet.
Explore edition Level 4 · Closed cohortClaude edition
For teams standardising on Anthropic's Claude: advanced reasoning, drafting and analysis built into the programme.
Explore editionRole-based pathways
The Level 4 reframed for specific roles, plus a Level 6 fellowship for those building deeper AI and machine-learning capability.
AI for Team Leaders
Equip frontline and team leaders to lead AI-enabled ways of working.
View pathway Level 4AI for Operations Leaders
For operations leaders driving efficiency and process improvement with AI.
View pathway Level 4AI for Coaching Professionals
For coaches and L&D professionals embedding AI into their practice.
View pathway Level 6 · DegreeAI & ML Fellowship
A degree-level apprenticeship for those building serious AI & data science depth.
View fellowshipAI Leadership Units · Level 5 · closed cohort
Short, focused units for leaders: 30 guided learning hours each, £750 per unit, no end-point assessment. Run as a private cohort to upskill your leadership team fast.
AI Strategy
Set a clear, commercially grounded AI strategy for your organisation.
View unit AI Adoption & Governance · Level 5AI Adoption & Governance
Drive responsible adoption with the right guardrails, policy and governance.
View unit AI Delivery & Transformation · Level 5AI Delivery & Transformation
Turn AI strategy into delivered change and measurable business outcomes.
View unitStart with a free AI Taster Day
Not sure where to begin? Our free, NCFE-accredited AI Taster Days are delivered live online and give your team a hands-on first step: the no-risk way to see the impact before committing to a full programme.
22 apprenticeships across every business function
AI is our specialism, but it sits inside a complete portfolio. Whatever capability your teams need to build, there's a levy-funded apprenticeship to match.
AI & Data
AI & Automation Practitioner, AI & ML Fellowship, data analysts and the Level 5 AI Leadership Units.
Leadership & Management
Team leaders, operations and departmental managers, and senior leaders: CMI and ILM aligned.
Coaching & Mentoring
Coaching Professional and CMI/ILM coaching and mentoring qualifications for people developers.
HR & People
HR support and people-profession apprenticeships, CIPD-aligned, for growing people teams.
Operations & Improvement
Project management, business administration and improvement roles that keep delivery on track.
Digital & Marketing
Multi-channel marketing, digital and business-analysis apprenticeships for modern commercial teams.
From first call to team starting, in about 30 days
A simple, well-supported path from enquiry to live delivery, with a dedicated account manager looking after you the whole way.
Discovery call
We learn your goals, teams and priorities, and map the apprenticeships that fit, with honest funding advice.
Programme design
We shape a bespoke programme around your business, including tool editions and role-based pathways where they help.
Enrolment
We handle onboarding and paperwork. With monthly rolling cohorts, your team typically starts within ~30 days.
Delivery & support
Live online delivery, a dedicated account manager and monthly progress reviews keep momentum and outcomes on track.
Funded through the Growth & Skills Levy
Apprenticeships are government-backed training. For most UK organisations the training cost is fully covered. Here's how it works for you.
Fund directly from your levy
If your annual pay bill is over £3m you pay the apprenticeship levy. Use your existing levy pot to fund TESS Group programmes, turning a tax you already pay into capability for your teams.
- Training funded from your existing levy pot
- No additional training cost for eligible programmes
- We help you make the most of your funds before they expire
95 to 100% government-funded
Don't pay the levy? Government funds 95% of apprenticeship training for smaller and non-levy employers under the Growth & Skills Levy, and 100% for apprentices aged 16 to 24, so your share is 5% at most.
- 95% of training costs covered by government, 100% for 16–24s
- Ideal for growing teams building AI capability
- We guide you through eligibility and set-up
A provider built for results, not just delivery
An Ofsted Good, Skills England approved provider with a track record employers come back to.
Ofsted Good provider
An Ofsted Good, Skills England approved training provider you can trust with your people.
4.9/5 from 770+ reviews
Rated 4.9 out of 5 by hundreds of learners and employers, from across the businesses you know.
72% pass at Distinction
Against a national average of around 20%: outcomes that show real capability built.
Monthly rolling starts
No waiting for the next intake: cohorts begin every month, so teams start fast.
Dedicated account manager
One named contact who knows your business and keeps everything on track.
Bespoke programme design
Programmes shaped around your goals and tools, delivered live online to fit busy teams.
Team Leader Level 3 lost its funding in September 2026
If you used the Team Leader L3 standard, now is the time to move. We can help you move to AI-enabled leadership alternatives, such as AI for Team Leaders (Level 4), that develop the same leadership skills plus practical AI capability.
From teams at the companies you know
“This project increased visibility of performance reporting, stakeholder communication and accuracy. It enabled proactive management of peak volumes and faster responses to emerging challenges.”
“As a business, DPD have had good results with the TESS Group and have applied their courses to multiple apprenticeships. I'd 100% recommend them to anyone who wants to do an apprenticeship.”
“I found the course useful and informative and have already used AI in helping us as a finance team look at ways we can streamline processes. The prompt framework was really useful in refining the questions to ask.”
What employers ask before they choose a provider
What are your achievement rates, and how do they compare?
Department for Education data for 2024/25: 67.2% at Level 4 and above, against a national figure of 64.9% for Level 4+. That is from 120 leavers, with a 100% pass rate among those who reached assessment.
Across all levels, 65.6% against a national 65.4%, from 180 leavers.
The direction matters more than any single year. At Level 4 and above: 52.2% in 2022/23, 53.4% in 2023/24, 67.2% in 2024/25.
What did Ofsted say?
Good. For 2025–26, employer satisfaction reviews are rated Good and apprentice reviews are rated Good.
Alongside that: matrix Standard for information and advice, Cyber Essentials certification, and approved centre status with CMI, ILM, NCFE and BCS.
Independently, 4.9/5 from 770 verified Google and Trustpilot reviews.
Who pays, and how much?
If you pay the levy and have funds in your account: nothing. It comes out of the pot you are already paying into, at any apprentice age.
If you pay the levy and your account is exhausted: 25% for apprentices aged 25 and over; government funds the rest. Apprentices aged 16–24 remain fully funded. This rate rose on 1 August 2026 and is the only one that did.
If you do not pay the levy: 5% for apprentices aged 25 and over, government funds 95%. Apprentices aged 16–24 are fully funded. The 25% rate does not apply to you.
How much of my employee’s time does this take?
Less than most employers expect, and it is no longer a percentage. Since August 2025 each standard has a published minimum volume of off-the-job training hours rather than a share of the working week. It is not tied to programme duration, and it cannot fall below 187 hours.
Off-the-job does not mean out of the office. Shadowing, mentoring, writing up a project and time spent on a work task that is new to the apprentice all count.
How quickly can a cohort start?
Around 30 days from the first call, with monthly rolling starts rather than fixed September and January intakes.
That matters when a budget or a levy balance has a date on it. Unused levy now expires 12 months after it is paid in, for anything paid from 1 August 2026.
Who are we actually contracting with?
The Tess Group is the trading name of Training Event Safety Solutions Ltd, company number 07080851, UKPRN 10031093, registered at Office 109 Innovation Centre, Green Street, Northampton NN1 1SY.
We are on the Department for Education’s register of approved training providers and deliver across England.
Achievement figures are Department for Education national achievement rate data for the 2024/25 academic year, published March 2026. Funding positions are current for apprenticeships starting today and are set out in full on our funding rules page.
Ready to build an AI-ready workforce?
Book a discovery call and we'll map the right levy-funded programmes for your teams, with honest funding advice and a plan to start within ~30 days.
Ofsted Good · 4.9/5 from 770+ reviews · 100% levy-funded