AI Leadership – AI Adoption, Procurement and Governance – Apprenticeship Unit

Overview

The AI leadership – AI adoption, procurement and governance apprenticeship unit is a five-day live training programme designed for leaders who influence or make decisions about acquiring, implementing, and governing AI systems within their organisations.

This unit builds the strategic and practical capability required to move from AI ambition to defensible, evidence-based adoption. Learners develop the skills to evaluate AI use cases, assess suppliers and delivery models, manage risk, and design governance frameworks that ensure accountability and transparency across the AI lifecycle.

The programme places strong emphasis on ethical, legal, regulatory, and human-centric considerations. Participants learn how to embed responsible AI principles into procurement, oversight, assurance, and compliance processes, ensuring that AI systems are adopted in a way that supports organisational resilience and public trust.

Funding: This apprenticeship unit is funded through the Government’s Growth and Skills Levy. Levy-paying employers can use their levy funds to cover the cost of training, while non-levy employers typically benefit from government co-investment up to the published funding band.

Find out how your organisation could benefit from the Growth and Skills Levy.

Prerequisites

Please note: Eligibility must be assessed prior to accepting bookings for this programme. Contact us to arrange a discussion with your QA team.

There are no formal technical prerequisites. Learners should:

• Hold a leadership or management role with decision-making authority
• Have involvement in procurement, governance, risk, or digital transformation
• Be prepared to engage in discussion, case study analysis, and applied strategic planning

Who should attend

This apprenticeship unit is designed for:

• Senior leaders and managers
• AI sponsors and programme owners
• Heads of function with AI accountability
• Leaders responsible for AI risk, governance, or transformation

No prior technical AI expertise is required. The course is designed for non-technical leaders who need to make informed, evidence-based decisions about AI adoption and oversight.

Objectives

By attending this programme, learners will:

• Translate AI strategy into structured, evidence-based adoption decisions
• Evaluate AI use cases using data, testing evidence, and feasibility assessment
• Assess technical delivery models and long-term operational risk
• Make defensible infrastructure, sourcing, and commercial decisions
• Evaluate AI suppliers and manage vendor risk
• Design governance and assurance mechanisms for responsible AI adoption
• Strengthen compliance, audit readiness, and oversight capability
• Embed human oversight and review across the AI lifecycle

Outline

• Move from strategic intent to evidence-based AI adoption decisions
• Evaluate AI use cases using data, testing approaches, and feasibility evidence
• Assess technical delivery models, including in-house, outsourced, and hybrid approaches
• Identify and manage long-term operational, financial, and reputational risk
• Conduct structured evaluation of AI suppliers and vendor risk
• Design governance frameworks that support responsible AI adoption
• Define accountability structures, roles, and decision rights in practice
• Implement risk escalation, security, and assurance mechanisms
• Structure compliance processes and demonstrate audit readiness
• Embed human oversight and decision review throughout the AI lifecycle

Delivery format

This is a five-day live training programme delivered over 30 hours. The format includes:

• Facilitated workshops and expert-led discussions
• Real-world case studies and applied scenarios
• Group exercises focused on strategic planning
• Peer discussion and leadership insight sharing
• Structured frameworks and practical templates

Learners are encouraged to apply course concepts to their own organisational context throughout the programme.

Validation and assessment

Mandatory: As a minimum, learners will need to pass a skills test, to demonstrate that they have acquired the skills and knowledge set out in the apprenticeship unit.  Employers will need to validate the result to confirm the learner has been successful.

Business benefits

• Organisations that invest in AI leadership capability will:
• Make defensible, evidence-based AI procurement decisions
• Reduce operational, regulatory, and reputational risk
• Strengthen accountability and oversight of AI systems
• Improve supplier due diligence and contract management
• Enhance compliance and audit readiness
• Build trust in AI adoption across stakeholders

Individual benefits

Learners will:

• Gain confidence in evaluating AI systems and suppliers
• Strengthen their ability to manage AI-related risk and governance
• Improve their understanding of procurement and sourcing decisions for AI
• Develop structured approaches to assurance and compliance
• Enhance their credibility as accountable AI leaders