The ST1512 AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 apprenticeship, built for supervisors and first-line managers: process discovery, building automations and measuring their impact, no coding. Alongside it, TESS adds six first-line leadership workshops and a CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership as a complimentary add-on. A strong option for employers who used the Team Leader Level 3. 100% levy-funded. Live cohorts every month.
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It's among 16 standards that lost apprenticeship funding in September 2026, and no direct successor has been announced. First-line leadership development isn't going anywhere, but the way you fund it needs to change.
The good news: there is a funded route for the same people. AI for Team Leaders is the live ST1512 AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4, and TESS adds six leadership workshops, Coachy your AI tutor alongside the apprenticeship, plus a CMI Level 3 credential as a complimentary add-on. See what is in it →
The funded apprenticeship is the Level 4 AI & Automation Practitioner (ST1512): 11 AI & automation modules, a workplace AI project and an end-point assessment, all against that standard. Alongside it, TESS adds six first-line leadership workshops and a formal CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership as a complimentary add-on. For employers who used the Team Leader Level 3, it is a strong next option: your supervisors still get real leadership development, and they leave with AI capability too.
The apprenticeship is the ST1512 AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 standard. On top, TESS adds six leadership workshops and Coachy, your 24/7 AI tutor, with NCFE Level 3 AI Prompt Mastery and Microsoft AB-730 at no cost to your business, plus a CMI Level 3 qualification as a complimentary add-on. No separate enrolments, no add-on fees for you to arrange.
Where the funding line sits. Your apprenticeship is the ST1512 AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4: the training plan, off-the-job hours and end-point assessment are all against that standard. The six leadership workshops are delivered by TESS on top, plus a CMI Level 3 qualification as a complimentary add-on. They sit outside the apprenticeship’s off-the-job hours, are delivered separately, and contain no AI content.
Leadership extra
The gold-standard credential for first-line managers. Apprentices complete a formal CMI assignment on Supporting Teams Through Change, the most-needed first-line leadership skill in the AI era. Portable, lifetime, stays on the CV.
Bespoke TESS qualification. Master prompt engineering across ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and Claude. Apply prompts to team performance reviews, 1:1 prep, KPI reporting and operational decisions.
Microsoft's globally recognised credential. Demonstrates proficiency in Copilot, generative AI tools and enterprise AI adoption frameworks. The badge that travels with your supervisor on LinkedIn and across every employer.
Scoped to the ST1512 standard, EPA-safe by design. Your team leaders can ask Coachy questions about leadership frameworks, AI tools, EPA prep or their workplace project, any time of day. Mobile and desktop.
Great, let's use the SBI feedback framework. Start with the Situation, then Behaviour, then Impact. I can walk you through prep for your specific case, what's the role and what's been happening?
The ST1512 AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 apprenticeship curriculum, 11 KSB-aligned modules delivered across 15 months: this is the funded apprenticeship. The six leadership workshops above are delivered separately and included by TESS on top of it, outside the apprenticeship's off-the-job hours.
Induction, AI diagnostic, Coachy & OneFile set up. Every learner benchmarked before Module 1.
Get the team using ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude and Gemini safely and to genuine effect. Shadow-AI risk closed off, plus a working introduction to agentic AI and the autonomous, multi-step AI agents now entering the workplace.
Find the hidden hours in your team's week, map them and rank them by which would actually survive automation.
Ship a live, no-code automation that takes a real repetitive job off your team's plate. Power Automate, Make, Zapier.
Build an AI agent that actually does the work, on your data. Copilot Studio, multi-agent workflows, RAG.
Make the agent safe enough to roll out properly. Guardrails, safety controls, an audit trail IT will approve.
Use customer data safely. UK GDPR, lawful basis, DPIAs, retention rules. The data law your DPO has been waiting for.
Build AI that works for every customer and employee, not just the average one. Bias audited, accessibly designed.
Test it for real, on real data, with the trickier day-to-day situations. Prove results to leadership before scaling.
The hardest part of AI is getting people to actually use it. The adoption module the build-only programmes skip.
Walk in with a real, credible AI business case. Costed, risk-assessed, ready to defend.
One ambitious AI build, running live in your business. Plus a Copilot, Gemini & Claude hands-on day. Gateway readiness.
Your team leaders won't just learn about AI, they'll get hands-on with the exact tools transforming first-line management. From Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT to Power Automate and Zapier. Plain English, no coding, real workplace scenarios.
AI assistant across M365, Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook
OpenAI's flagship model, drafting, analysis, research
Anthropic, deep reasoning, long-context analysis
Google's multimodal AI, Workspace, Sheets, NotebookLM
AI-powered research with cited sources
Google's knowledge-base AI, your docs become an expert
Microsoft's no-code workflow engine
Connect 6,000+ apps with no-code automations
Visual scenario builder for complex automations
AI pair-programmer for technical team members
Enterprise RPA, robotic process automation
Build custom AI agents for your team
Google's no-code app builder for ops teams
Live dashboards from your team's data
Generative AI for design & team visuals
AI inside your team's knowledge base
And more: GitHub Copilot · ElevenLabs · Midjourney · Jasper · Adobe Firefly · Otter.ai, we update the toolkit as the AI landscape shifts.
100% funded through the Apprenticeship Levy · Non-levy employers pay just 5%. What you get back: measurable.
776 verified reviews averaging 4.9/5, exceptional learner satisfaction across every programme.
Independently verified quality. Highest standards of delivery, learner support and outcomes.
Included by TESS alongside the apprenticeship. Six first-line leadership workshops paired across 3 intensive days, rated 9.8/10 by learners.
NCFE Level 3 AI Prompt Mastery and Microsoft AB-730, plus a CMI Level 3 qualification as a complimentary add-on.
With Team Leader L3 funding ended in September 2026, this is a levy-funded AI apprenticeship for the same people, with first-line leadership development included alongside it.
No coding. No tech background. No management role needed. No-code tools, plain-English AI prompting, real workplace scenarios.
The ST1512 AI & Automation apprenticeship with a CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership as a complimentary add-on, beside the defunded Team Leader L3 and a typical AI provider.
| What you get | TESS AI for Team Leaders L4 |
Team Leader L3 (defunded Sep 2026) |
Typical AI provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership | ✓ | Partial | ✕ |
| 6 first-line leadership workshops, delivered alongside the apprenticeship | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| AI & Automation curriculum (11 modules) | ✓ | ✕ | Partial |
| Microsoft AB-730 + NCFE Level 3 AI Prompt | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Chartered, lifetime, portable credential | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Coachy AI tutor, 24/7, included | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Levy-funded from September 2026 onwards | ✓ | Defunded | ✓ |
| No coding · no management role required | ✓ | ✓ | Often required |
Our team leaders came out of this programme as confident, AI-fluent managers. The CMI Level 3 credential gave them credibility; the AI modules gave them an edge. The combination is what every modern first-line manager needs.
I got promoted into a team leader role with no formal management training. This programme gave me everything I needed, how to give feedback, manage performance, handle difficult conversations, plus AI tools I now use every day. The CMI sealed it.
As an NHS ward manager I needed something portable and credible. The CMI Level 3 sits on my CV permanently and the AI modules transformed how I plan rotas and triage workload. Best CPD I've done in 12 years.
Designed for executive sharing. Covers the full programme: the ST1512 modules, the leadership workshops and CMI Level 3 as a complimentary add-on, the AI toolkit, qualifications stack, investment summary and next steps. Plus a QR code straight to a Teams chat with TESS.
Real moments from live TESS leadership sessions with trainer Jamie Chambers. These clips come from live sessions that feed into the CMI Managing Change unit our learners complete.
Every clip under 2 minutes · plays on click
Everything HR Directors, L&D Managers and supervisors need to know about AI for Team Leaders Level 4.
Yes. The Team Leader Level 3 apprenticeship (ST0384) is among 16 standards that lost apprenticeship funding in September 2026. No direct successor has been announced. For employers who used it, AI for Team Leaders Level 4 is a strong option: a levy-funded AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 apprenticeship (ST1512) for people who lead teams, with six leadership workshops and a CMI Level 3 as a complimentary add-on.
Paired into three intensive leadership days, two themed workshops per day. Day 1 (Foundations Day) covers W1 + W2, who you are as a leader. Day 2 (Mastery Day) covers W3 + W4, communication, change and the formal CMI assignment. Day 3 (Performance Day) covers W5 + W6, decisions and high-performing teams. Just 3 dedicated leadership days alongside the 15-month apprenticeship, delivered separately from it. Closed cohorts can flex into half-day sessions if preferred.
No to both. The programme is designed for newly-promoted supervisors, aspiring leaders and experienced team leaders alike. Every AI module uses no-code tools and plain-English AI prompting, no programming, no technical background, and no formal management role required to start.
One unit is formally assessed by the Chartered Management Institute, Supporting Teams Through Change. It covers managing change at first-line level: change types, resistance, communication and stakeholder engagement. The other five leadership workshops are delivered by the TESS leadership team but are not CMI assessed, giving learners the full breadth of leadership skills without the assessment burden.
Yes. The programme falls within the £18,000 apprenticeship funding band and is 100% levy-funded through the Apprenticeship Levy. SMEs without a levy account access 95–100% government co-investment. The levy funds the apprenticeship. The other qualifications and Coachy sit alongside the apprenticeship. The CMI Level 3 and leadership workshops are a complimentary add-on from TESS; the CMI and workshops sit outside the apprenticeship's off-the-job hours.
Three premium qualifications alongside the apprenticeship: NCFE Level 3 CQ in AI Prompt Mastery (exclusive to TESS, covering ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Claude) and Microsoft AB-730 AI Business Professional, at no cost to your business, plus a CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership (formally assessed) as a complimentary add-on.
All sessions are delivered via live online workshops (Zoom or Microsoft Teams), so your team can learn from anywhere in England. Face-to-face delivery available for closed cohorts. Monthly starts, flexible cohort sizes, from a single learner to 30+.
The apprenticeship is the same AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 open cohort: all 11 AI modules, the workplace project and the end-point assessment. Alongside it, TESS adds 6 first-line leadership workshops and a CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership, delivered separately and outside the apprenticeship's off-the-job hours as a complimentary add-on. It's designed specifically for supervisors, team leaders and first-line managers. For coaches and L&D professionals, see our AI for Coaching Professionals L4. For ops managers and departmental leads, see AI for Operations Leaders L4.
Levy-funded through the Apprenticeship Levy or government co-investment for SMEs. Give your team leaders AI capability, a CMI Level 3 credential alongside it, and the confidence to lead the next decade of work.
This is the route for first-line managers who need both: the AI and automation skills of the Level 4 standard, and the CMI Level 3 management qualification UK employers recognise. The apprenticeship is fully levy-funded; the CMI Level 3 is a complimentary add-on, outside the funded programme. Nothing extra to buy.