Introduction to AI
for Small Businesses.

Introduction to AI for Small Businesses is a half-day, in-person course for small business owners, entrepreneurs and their team, capped at 8 participants, running at venues across London and Kent.

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Get your business started with AI in half a day.

Our in-person, jargon-free Introduction to AI for Small Businesses course for small business owners, entrepreneurs and their team in any sector. You’ll leave understanding the common AI tools and how to use them safely and effectively in your business. You don’t need to be confident with computers. You just need to be curious about what AI could do for you, or concerned about being left behind.

A small group around a table with laptops and tablets, talking through ideas together

£150

per participant

½ day

9am – 1pm

8 max

attendees per course

  • Croydon · Bromley · Sevenoaks · Tunbridge WellsSee our locations
  • Suitable for owners, entrepreneurs and their team

No technical knowledge required. You will be required to bring a smart phone, tablet or laptop computer. Full course instructions provided on sign-up.

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Course structure.

Get to know AI

  1. Introduction to AI

    What does “AI” actually mean, how do tools like ChatGPT generate their answers, which jobs does AI perform brilliantly — and where does it go wrong.

  2. Popular AI tools

    ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini — what’s free and what’s not, which platform might be a good fit for you, and what might the future of AI tools look like.

Put it to work

  1. Chatting effectively and safely with AI

    How to ask for exactly what you want, fix a weak answer, and change a tool’s settings so it works the way you want it to. Plus what never to type into a chat box.

  2. Practical uses for small businesses

    Beginner-friendly jobs AI can take off your plate — customer emails, quotes, social posts, paperwork, planning and more.

  3. Hands-on with AI tools

    Get hands on with different AI tools and work on a real task from your own business, with help as you go. Bring one in mind, or pick from our starter projects.

Use it well

  1. Data protection

    How data protection applies when using AI, what’s safe to share, the privacy settings worth changing today, and how to spot the AI-powered scams now aimed at small businesses.

  2. Using AI ethically

    Being upfront with customers, spotting bias and made-up facts, and making sure you’re the one who stays in charge of each task.

  3. Next steps

    Leave with a plan for where you want to start with AI in your business, which tools you want to try and where you want to develop further.

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Built around the government’s AI foundation skills.

In January 2026, Skills England published the AI Foundation Skills for Work benchmark: six skills that everyone needs to use AI tools safely and effectively at work. We’ve designed this course so that it aligns with five of them. The sixth, automating routine work, gets a course of its own: AI Agents and Automation.

  • Technical

    • Writing clear instructions for AI tools

      Chatting effectively and safely with AI · Hands-on with AI tools

    • Using AI tools to support routine processes and tasks

      Practical uses for small businesses · Hands-on with AI tools

  • Non-technical

    • Using simple software that automates work tasks

      Taught in our follow-on course: AI Agents and Automation

    • Adjusting how an AI tool works to get better results

      Chatting effectively and safely with AI · Data protection

  • Responsible and ethical

    • Understanding the risks and consequences associated with AI use

      Data protection · Using AI ethically

    • Analysing information using AI tools

      Hands-on with AI tools · Using AI ethically

Read the benchmark on GOV.UK

Vant Academy is independent. The benchmark is published by Skills England; this course is not accredited or endorsed by Skills England or the government.

Why should you
choose this course?

  1. Small groups, in-person

    All courses delivered in-person, maximum 8 participants per course, at a venue near you in London or Kent.

  2. Universal AI skills

    Jargon-free practical sessions — build skills that transfer across any common AI tool, so you always know how to get the best out of whatever you’re using.

  3. Know the risks

    Understand where AI can go wrong, how to protect your data and your customers, and the questions to ask before you trust an AI answer.

  4. Try the tools

    Get hands-on with the AI tools you’re most likely to use, and learn simple techniques to get noticeably better results.

  5. Ideas you can deploy

    Explore the ways other small businesses like yours are already using AI — for admin, marketing, customer service and more.

  6. Apply it that day

    Leave with practical skills and the confidence to begin using AI in your business immediately.

Book your place.

Bookings run through Eventbrite.

Stay tuned.

Our next courses will be announced soon. Register your interest to be the first to hear about them.

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