Level 2 Certificate in AI in Practice
Get reliable, high-quality results from AI, at work and at home.
What it’s for
For people who already use AI and want consistently good results. You learn how assistants really work, prompting techniques that hold up, how to work with your own documents and data, how to check and take responsibility for AI-assisted work, and how to use AI at work safely and lawfully.
Who it’s for
- You use an AI assistant now and then, and want better results
- You use AI at work and want to do it properly
- You want to understand why answers vary, and what to do about it
- You’ve finished AI Essentials, or already know what it covers
Before you start: Some experience of using an AI assistant. AI Essentials (Level 1) covers what you need.
What you’ll be able to do
- Explain how AI assistants work, including context, memory and knowledge cutoffs
- Use structured prompting techniques and reusable templates
- Work with your own documents and data, and check the results
- Use AI at work in line with policy, data protection and copyright
- Build AI into your routine and measure whether it helps
The units
Each unit lists what you’ll learn (its learning outcomes) and what you’ll be able to do to show it (its assessment criteria). Every marked question is tied to one of them.
1How AI assistants really workModels, apps and tools; context windows, memory and knowledge cutoffs; and why the same question gets different answers.12 min
Outcome 1Understand the main parts of an AI assistant
- Distinguish the model from the app and its tools, such as web search and file reading
- Explain context windows and memory in plain English
- Explain what a knowledge cutoff means for answers
Outcome 2Understand why answers vary
- Explain why the same prompt can give different answers
- Explain why long conversations can drift
- Decide when to start a fresh chat
2Prompting techniques that hold upRoles, audiences, constraints and examples; breaking work into steps; and getting AI to critique and improve its own work.13 min
Outcome 1Use structured prompting techniques
- Set a role, an audience and constraints
- Use examples to show the style and format you want
- Break a larger task into steps
Outcome 2Use AI to improve work
- Ask for options and trade-offs, not just one answer
- Ask AI to critique a draft and revise it
- Build reusable prompt templates
3Working with documents and dataSummarising and questioning long documents, pulling out what matters, and analysing data without being misled by it.13 min
Outcome 1Use AI with your own documents
- Summarise and question long documents
- Extract information into tables or lists
- Ask for quotes or locations to check against the original
Outcome 2Use AI to analyse data
- Describe a dataset clearly to an assistant
- Check calculations, totals and charts
- Explain the limits of AI with numbers
4Quality control: checking and owning the resultA routine for checking AI-assisted work, checking sources properly, and taking responsibility for what you publish or send.13 min
Outcome 1Check AI output systematically
- Check claims by reading other sources
- Check that a cited source exists and says what is claimed
- Cross-check important answers with a second source or model
Outcome 2Take responsibility for AI-assisted work
- Review for accuracy, tone and fairness
- Be open about AI use where it matters
- Keep a person responsible for decisions
5Using AI at work safely and lawfullyWork policies, business and personal accounts, personal data under UK GDPR, copyright and confidentiality, and decisions about people.14 min
Outcome 1Handle work information safely
- Follow an organisation’s AI policy
- Explain the difference between business and personal accounts
- Recognise personal data, which UK GDPR protects
Outcome 2Understand legal and ethical risks
- Describe copyright and confidentiality risks
- Recognise the risk of bias in decisions about people
- Know when AI shouldn’t be used
6Building AI into how you workTurning one-off chats into repeatable workflows, and measuring whether AI really saves time.15 min
Outcome 1Design repeatable AI workflows
- Map a task into steps AI can help with
- Use custom instructions, projects or saved prompts
- Use AI for meetings, writing and research
Outcome 2Measure and improve
- Time a task before and after
- Decide whether a paid tool is worth it
- Keep a personal AI playbook
How it’s assessed
Each unit ends with a 5-question unit check: get 4 right to complete the unit, and retake it as often as you need with fresh questions. When all six are complete, the final assessment opens: 24 multiple-choice questions, 4 from each unit, in 40 minutes. Your grade comes from your final assessment mark.
Your certificate
Your name, the level and your grade, with its own number and a QR code linking to a public page where anyone can check it. A second page records the units and learning outcomes you’ve met. It arrives as a PDF by email, you can add it to LinkedIn in one tap, and we’ll post you a printed copy for £10 if you’d like one.
It’s an Unjargoned certificate of achievement, not a regulated qualification.