AL Leadership: AI Strategy & Opportunity
Level 5 Apprenticeship Unit
Unit Reference: AU0009
Duration: 30+ Hours
Employers cover the cost of training. Skills & Growth Levy ‑paying organisations can use their Skills & Growth Levy to fund training. Non‑ Skills & Growth Levy SMEs may be able to access up to 100% government funding through their Apprenticeship Service account — we can advise you on eligibility. Apprentices never pay toward the cost of their training
Dates & Prices
Develop Your AI Leadership Skills in Just One Week
AI is changing how organisations operate — and leaders who can shape that change will have a significant advantage. This Level 5 Apprenticeship Unit is an intensive five-day programme that gives you the frameworks, confidence and practical skills to lead your organisation’s AI strategy with clarity and purpose.
Delivered over a single week, this course is built for busy leaders. You’ll leave with a structured approach to AI strategy that you can apply immediately in your role.
What you’ll cover across the week:
Setting AI Policy and Strategy — understand your leadership responsibilities in shaping how AI is adopted in your organisation, including building business cases that address workforce impact, organisational perception and long-term sustainability.
Identifying AI Opportunities — learn how to evaluate where AI can drive genuine improvement, using both qualitative and quantitative evidence alongside structured risk assessment.
Creating and Communicating Your AI Strategy — develop the skills to define a clear AI strategy that is aligned to your organisation’s goals, values and risk appetite — and communicate it in a way that lands with both technical and non-technical audiences.
Assessing Viability and Managing Risk — explore how to test and pilot AI use cases, balance productivity gains against feasibility and cost, and assess your organisation’s readiness for investment.
Stakeholder Engagement — learn how to bring people with you, build internal support and lead productive conversations about AI at every level of your organisation.
Horizon Scanning and Emerging Trends — develop your ability to monitor, adapt and respond as AI technology continues to evolve rapidly.
Built for Leaders, Not Technologists
You don’t need a technical background to get real value from this course. This unit is designed for people in leadership and management roles, or those who aspire to be in leadership and management roles, who need to understand AI well enough to make smart strategic decisions — about where to invest, which risks to take seriously, how to influence the people around them, and how to shape the direction of AI in their organisation.
This course is ideal if you:
- Are being asked to take a lead on AI strategy or digital transformation, or to take part in an AI strategy or digital automation project
- Work in an organisation that is exploring AI but hasn’t yet developed a clear strategic framework or governance approach
- Want to move beyond surface-level awareness of AI and build a structured, practical understanding of how to use it responsibly and effectively
- Need to present credible AI strategies to boards, senior leadership teams or investors
- Are a levy employer looking to invest your Apprenticeship Skills and Growth Levy in meaningful, accredited leadership development
- Are 19 or over and currently employed
Entry requirement:
You must be age 19 or over, and currently employed in a leadership role, or you aspire to be in a leadership role in the future. Before enrolling, you will be required to answer questions as part of our enrolment process about your current level off experience to ensure this course will teach you new valuable skills.
A Week That Makes a Real Difference
NowSkills has been delivering digital and technology training since 2013, and we bring that depth of experience to every apprenticeship unit we deliver. Here’s what’s included when you enrol on the AI Strategy and Opportunity unit.
Expert-Led Training
Your week is led by experienced NowSkills tutors with real-world knowledge of AI, leadership and organisational strategy. This isn’t theory for its own sake — everything is grounded in practical application to your role and your organisation.
Live Online Delivery
We offer learning via live virtual classrooms, live virtual classrooms. You will need access to a computer to join the course
Full Coverage of All Six Learning Outcomes
Your programme covers every learning outcome set by Skills England for this unit, from AI policy and strategy through to stakeholder engagement and horizon scanning for emerging technologies.
Skills Assessment
As part of the week, you’ll complete skills tests delivered by NowSkills to demonstrate the knowledge and capabilities you’ve developed..
NowSkills Certificate of Completion
On passing your skills assessment, you’ll receive a NowSkills Certificate of Completion — a tangible record of your achievement that you can add to your professional profile and share with your employer.
Employer Involvement
Your employer plays a role in the process too — validating your assessment result and supporting the learning journey. This makes the unit particularly valuable as a shared investment in leadership capability.
Funding
For Skills and Growth Apprenticeship Levy-paying employers, this unit can be funded directly from your Apprenticeship Skills and Growth Levy. SMEs may be eligible for up to 100% government funding. The employee pays nothing. Our Business Support Team will be able to help you with any funding queries.
Assessment and Completion
Assessment and Completion
There’s no traditional exam for this unit — the assessment is practical and focused on what you can actually do.
Skills Test (Mandatory)
As part of the week, you’ll complete a skills test delivered by NowSkills. This assessment is designed to confirm that you’ve acquired the knowledge and skills set out across the unit’s six learning outcomes.
NowSkills Certificate of Completion
Upon passing, you’ll receive a NowSkills Certificate of Completion. While this is not a qualification issued by an external awarding body, it is a formal record of your achievement on a government-approved apprenticeship unit, recognised under the Skills England and Department for Education Apprenticeship Units framework.
How This Unit Is Funded
AI apprenticeship units are funded through the same government apprenticeship system used for full apprenticeships — the Apprenticeship Service. How much you pay, if anything, depends on whether your organisation pays the apprenticeship levy.
Levy-Paying Employers: Using Your Growth and Skills Levy
If your organisation has an annual pay bill over £3 million, you already pay into the levy — now being reformed into the Growth and Skills Levy. Since April 2026, for the first time, these funds can be used for apprenticeship units as well as full apprenticeships.
If you have sufficient funds in your apprenticeship service account: the cost of the unit (up to £750) is drawn directly from your account across two payment milestones, and there’s no additional cost to your business beyond the levy you already pay.
If your levy funds run low or are exhausted: you move into co-investment. Under the funding rules in force to 31 July 2026, government covers 95% of the cost and you contribute the remaining 5%. From 1 August 2026, this changes: government’s contribution drops to 75%, and the employer co-investment rate rises to 25%. If you’re planning enrolments over the summer, it’s worth checking your levy balance now.
SME and Non-Levy Employers: Fully Funded Training
If your organisation’s pay bill is under £3 million, you don’t pay the levy — and that means the AI Strategy & Opportunity unit (and the other AI leadership units) is fully funded by government. There is no cost to your business.
In practice, this works by reserving funds through the Apprenticeship Service before the unit starts. NowSkills will guide you through this as part of enrolment — there’s no separate pot of money to find, and no invoice for training costs.
What You’ll See on Your Invoice
Whatever your funding position, the total price and any employer contribution will always be set out clearly in your contract for services before training begins — there are no hidden costs. Where government funding applies, that portion of the training is VAT-exempt; any employer co-investment may be subject to VAT, which your NowSkills advisor can confirm.
Apprentices Pay Nothing
Under the funding rules, employers and training providers are prohibited from asking a learner to contribute financially to their training — whether they complete the unit or leave early. Your employee will never be asked to pay towards this course, in any circumstance.
Quick Facts Panel
Employer type | What you pay |
Non-levy / SME (pay bill under £3m) | Nothing — 100% government funded |
Levy payer with funds available | Nothing beyond your existing levy contribution |
Levy payer, funds exhausted (from 1 August 2026) | 25% co-investment |
Apprentice / employee | Nothing, ever |
Other apprenticeships units available
Quick Facts
Unit: AU0009 — AI Strategy & Opportunity
Level: 5
Duration: 5 days (30+ hours)
Max funding: £750
Approved by: Skills England / Department for Education
How is this funded?
Levy employers can use their Apprenticeship Skills and Growth Levy to fund this unit at no additional cost to the business.
SME employers may be eligible for up to 100% government funding.
Employees pay nothing.
Not sure what you’re eligible for? Contact us and we’ll help you work it out.
On completion, learners receive:
- A NowSkills Certificate of Completion
- Employer-validated skills assessment record
- A pathway towards a full Level 5 Apprenticeship
Contact us
Why Choose NowSkills to Deliver Your AI Leadership Training?
NowSkills has delivered digital and technology apprenticeships since 2013, and your can be confident your team is in good hands. We provide a dedicated account manager, expert AI coaches, and we’ll handle all the funding administration — making the whole process straightforward from day one.
Build a Complete AI Leadership Capability Across Your Organisation
Make AI Strategy & Opportunity your team’s first step, NowSkills also delivers two further Level 5 AI Leadership units:
AU0010 — AI Adoption, Procurement & Governance — evaluate AI solutions, make sound procurement decisions, and implement governance frameworks.
AU0011 — AI Delivery & Organisational Transformation — lead AI implementation, manage workforce change, and ensure ongoing compliance and performance.
All three units can be funded through your Apprenticeship Skills and Growth Levy.