Practical AI training built around how your business actually works
Most AI training teaches a tool in the abstract and leaves your team to work out the rest on their own. This training is different: it is built around your business, your tools and the risks that matter to you, delivered by someone who can also help you act on what comes out of it.
In many businesses, a few people have quietly started using AI tools while others have not touched them at all. There is no shared sense of what “good” use looks like, and no one has agreed what is safe to put into a chatbot and what is not.
Generic online courses do not help much. They are built for a general audience, so they rarely connect to the systems, documents and customer information your team actually deals with day to day. Leaders are often left unsure whether their staff are using AI well, badly, or not at all, and worried about what might happen if confidential information ends up somewhere it should not.
What this training service is
This is practical, business-specific AI training for small and medium-sized organisations. It is designed for leadership teams who want their people using AI confidently and safely, and for staff who want to understand what AI can genuinely do for their day-to-day work, without hype and without being sold a particular product.
A typical engagement starts with a short conversation about your business, your team and what you want the training to achieve. From there, a session is built around real examples: your documents, your processes, your tools. This is not a generic off-the-shelf course delivered the same way to every business, and it is not a sales pitch for a specific AI product. Sessions can be delivered in person, across the South West and wider UK, or remotely, and are pitched to the level of the room. Attendees leave with practical materials to refer back to, and follow-up guidance is available afterwards.
Who training is for
- Business owners and leadership teams. Sessions focus on what AI can realistically do for your business, where the genuine opportunities are, and what governance and safeguards you need in place before wider rollout.
- General employees. Training focuses on practical, everyday use: writing better prompts, using AI tools sensibly for everyday tasks, and understanding what is and is not safe to share.
- Sales and marketing teams. Sessions look at how AI can support research, content drafting, proposal writing and customer communication, while keeping your brand voice and accuracy intact.
- Operational and administrative teams. Sessions cover using AI to speed up documentation, scheduling, data handling and routine correspondence, and help teams spot where automation could remove friction from their own workflow.
What training covers
Introduction to AI for business: a grounded, jargon-free explanation of what generative AI is, what it is good at, and where its limits are. Practical use of generative AI: hands-on sessions using real tasks from your business. Prompt writing: practical guidance on how to write clear, effective prompts. AI for leadership teams: where to invest attention, what governance looks like, and how to set a sensible pace for adoption. AI for sales and marketing: applying AI to research, content drafting, proposals and customer communication. AI for administration and operations: using AI to reduce repetitive administrative work.
Safe and responsible AI use: clear, practical guidance on the risks of AI use in a business setting. Data protection and confidentiality: guidance on what information should never be entered into AI tools. Creating internal AI policies: support in drafting a straightforward internal policy. Using approved AI tools: helping teams understand which tools are appropriate for which tasks. Identifying automation opportunities: working with your team to spot repetitive tasks AI or automation could realistically take on. Team-specific workshops: focused sessions built around a single department’s tools and workflows.
Why tailored training works better than generic courses
Generic AI courses teach a tool in the abstract, using examples that have nothing to do with your business. Tailored training starts from the other direction: it looks at your business, your tools and your risks first, and builds the session around that.
Benefits you can expect
More confident and consistent AI use across your team, rather than a few people experimenting alone; fewer data protection worries, because staff understand what is and is not safe to share; staff able to spot their own automation opportunities; and less reliance on one person in the business “being the AI person.” These are the kinds of outcomes tailored training is designed to support; the exact results depend on your team, your starting point and how the training is followed up.
How the process works
- Understand the audience and their work. A short conversation to understand your team, their day-to-day tasks and what you want the session to achieve.
- Agree what the session should achieve. Clear objectives are agreed up front.
- Deliver the session using real examples from your business.
- Agree follow-up actions. Practical next steps, whether that is a policy to draft, a tool to trial, or an opportunity worth exploring further.
- Review afterwards. A follow-up check to see how the training has landed and adjust guidance if needed.
Example session formats
AI foundations workshop: a half-day introduction for teams with little or no prior AI experience. Leadership briefing: a focused session for owners and senior managers on strategy, governance and where to invest attention. Prompt writing masterclass: a hands-on session focused entirely on writing better prompts. Sales and marketing AI session: practical use of AI for research, content drafting and customer communication.
Admin and operations workshop: identifying and reducing repetitive tasks using AI and automation. Safe AI use and data protection briefing: a focused session on risk, confidentiality and safe everyday use. AI policy development session: working with leadership to draft a practical internal AI policy. Department-specific deep dive: a session built entirely around one team’s tools and workflows.
Why work with CTOMark
Training is delivered by Mark Grice, who brings more than 20 years of hands-on technology leadership experience, including 13 years as CTO of a security software company used by police forces and government organisations, which he founded and later exited. That background includes certified penetration testing experience, which shapes a genuinely practical view of data protection and safe AI use.
As an independent consultant, there is no software to resell and no commission tied to any particular AI product. Because the same person delivering the training can also support strategy, implementation and governance work, a session is not necessarily the end of the conversation.
Common questions and concerns
“Our staff may resist this.” That is common, and usually comes from uncertainty rather than genuine reluctance; sessions are pitched to the room and focused on practical, relevant examples.
“We do not have time for training right now.” Sessions can be as short as a focused half-day, built around your team’s actual work.
“AI training sounds expensive.” Cost depends on the scope and length of the session, discussed and agreed upfront.
“We already know how to use ChatGPT.” Knowing how to open a chatbot is different from knowing how to use it safely, consistently and effectively across a whole team.
“How do we stop staff misusing AI after the session?” Training includes practical guidance on safe use and data protection, and can lead into a proper internal AI policy.
“Can this lead into a proper AI policy for us?” Yes, policy development is offered as part of, or as a follow-on from, training.
There is no obligation and no sales pitch, just a conversation about what your team needs and whether tailored training makes sense for your business. Arrange a team workshop using the enquiry form on this page.
Frequently asked questions
Who is training suitable for?
Training is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses of any type, from leadership teams to general staff, sales and marketing teams, and operational or administrative teams.
Do you deliver in person or remotely?
Both. In person across Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Exeter, Somerset, Dorset and Bristol, and remotely for businesses further afield across the UK.
Can training be built around our specific tools and processes?
Yes. Sessions are built around your own documents, tools and workflows wherever possible.
How do you make sure staff use AI safely afterwards?
Every session includes guidance on safe and responsible use, data protection and confidentiality, and training can lead into a proper internal AI policy.
Can this lead into an internal AI policy for us?
Yes, policy development can be arranged alongside or after training.
What does a half-day or full-day workshop cost?
Pricing depends on the length of the session, the size of the team and whether delivery is in person or remote; cost is agreed after an initial conversation.