Built by TESS as the natural alternative to the defunded Team Leader L3 apprenticeship. Same first-line leadership content, plus AI fluency, plus a CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership credential included complimentary. 100% levy-funded. Live cohorts every month.
25-minute Teams chat · No obligation · Response within 1 working day
It's among 16 standards losing apprenticeship funding from 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: TESS has built the natural successor. Same content. Plus AI. Plus a CMI Level 3 credential. Plus Coachy your AI tutor. All under the live ST1512 standard. See the curriculum mapping →
Built by the same TESS leadership team that delivered the Team Leader Level 3 standard. Every topic from the old 9-workshop curriculum is covered across 6 deeper first-line leadership workshops, plus 11 AI & automation modules, a formal CMI Level 3 credential, and Coachy your AI tutor. All in one levy-funded apprenticeship.
The apprenticeship is the ST1512 AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 standard. On top, TESS includes a curated stack of qualifications, workshops and tools, all complimentary. No extra cost. No separate enrolments. No add-on fees.
★ Flagship
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.
Built on Claude. 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. The six leadership workshops above are delivered separately and complimentary on top of this.
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.
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.
Levy-funded through the Apprenticeship Levy. Out-of-pocket cost: zero. What you get back: measurable.
690 verified reviews averaging 4.9/5, exceptional learner satisfaction across every programme.
Independently verified quality. Highest standards of delivery, learner support and outcomes.
Not a bolt-on. Six deep first-line leadership workshops paired across 3 intensive days, rated 9.8/10 by learners.
CMI Level 3, NCFE Level 3 AI Prompt Mastery, and Microsoft AB-730. Carefully curated, not a kitchen sink.
With Team Leader L3 funding ending Sep 2026, this is the levy-funded route that keeps first-line development alive, and adds AI.
No coding. No tech background. No management role needed. No-code tools, plain-English AI prompting, real workplace scenarios.
The only UK provider combining a CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership with the ST1512 AI & Automation apprenticeship, the natural alternative to the defunded Team Leader L3.
| 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 (covers all 9 Team Leader L3 topics) | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| AI & Automation curriculum (11 modules) | ✓ | ✕ | Partial |
| Microsoft AB-730 + NCFE Level 3 AI Prompt | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Chartered, lifetime, portable credential | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Coachy AI tutor, 24/7, included free | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| 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 curriculum, the CMI Level 3 qualification, the AI toolkit, qualifications stack, investment summary and next steps. Plus a QR code straight to a Teams chat with TESS.
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 losing apprenticeship funding from September 2026. No direct successor has been announced. AI for Team Leaders Level 4 provides the natural alternative, same first-line leadership content, plus AI fluency, all levy-funded under the live ST1512 standard.
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 inside the 15-month apprenticeship. 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. All three qualifications and Coachy AI tutor are bundled in at no extra cost.
Three premium qualifications, all complimentary: CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership (formally assessed), NCFE Level 3 CQ in AI Prompt Mastery (TESS exclusive, covering ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Claude), and Microsoft AB-730 AI Business Professional.
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+.
This programme includes everything in the base AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4, all 11 AI modules, all qualifications, plus 6 dedicated first-line leadership workshops (covering every topic from the defunded Team Leader L3 standard) plus a CMI Level 3 in Management & Leadership. 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 the CMI Level 3 credential, the AI fluency, and the confidence to lead the next decade of work.