AI Wales Programme
AI Champions
Develop the person who will lead AI inside your organisation.
Most organisations accept that AI matters, yet have no one whose role is to own it. AI Champions takes one capable person and develops them into a confident, credible internal lead — sponsored by your senior leadership team and given protected time and a real problem to work on. A six-month blend of facilitated workshops, one-to-one coaching and structured work-based activity: your champion learns by leading a live AI initiative inside the business, not by sitting through classroom theory. Graduates can also choose to join the AI Wales Champions Network for ongoing support and monthly meetups.
What it covers
Leading AI adoption is as much about people and process as it is about technology.
Artificial intelligence
Practical use of leading platforms, prompting and responsible use.
Data
Literacy, quality, readiness and governance.
Business process
Mapping how work flows and redesigning it for impact.
Communications
Building buy-in, managing change and training colleagues.
The six-month journey
Six facilitated workshop days of 5.5 structured hours, six required one-to-one coaching sessions, and an assessed presentation and review.
Foundations and diagnosis
The champion role, the AI landscape and a readiness baseline.
Data
Literacy, quality and how information is governed.
Business process
Mapping work and finding where AI adds measurable value.
Applied AI
Piloting a chosen use case hands-on.
Communications and change
Bringing colleagues with you and planning internal training.
Embed and lead
Governance, the roadmap and a project presentation to leadership.
Champions Network (added extra)
Beyond the core six-month CPD programme, graduates can also choose to join the AI Wales Champions Network for a further 12 months of ongoing community support.
Monthly Champions Meetups
Virtual and in-person gatherings to share wins, challenges, and learn from other Champions across Wales.
AI Wales Advisor Access
Direct access to AI Wales advisors for guidance on your AI initiatives and challenges.
Private Community
Slack/Teams community exclusively for Champions to ask questions, share resources, and collaborate.
Quarterly Briefings
Updates on AI trends, new tools, regulatory changes, and opportunities relevant to Welsh organisations.
Resource Library
Templates, frameworks, and case studies to support your internal AI advocacy work.
Priority Event Access
First access to AI Wales events, workshops, and new programme pilots.
Governance extensions
Two additional, bespoke elements available alongside AI Champions for organisations that need to show — not just build — AI governance capability.
ISO/IEC 42001-aligned
AI Governance Evidence Pack
For organisations building or maintaining an AI use and governance charter aligned to ISO/IEC 42001, the international standard for AI management systems. Rather than teaching the standard in the abstract, this add-on builds the practical evidence an organisation needs to demonstrate conformance — delivered alongside or after a core programme such as AI Champions, once a champion has a live project to anchor it to.
What's included:
- ✓A competence framework mapping AI-related roles and responsibilities to your organisation's stated requirements
- ✓Impact assessment templates for evaluating new AI use cases before they go live
- ✓Risk classification templates to support ongoing AI risk governance and metrics reporting
Best for: Organisations operating, or committing to, an ISO/IEC 42001-aligned AI management system, where leadership, auditors or funders need documented evidence rather than generic training.
Ongoing governance support
AI Steering Group Clinics
A short series of facilitated sessions for an organisation's AI steering group, or equivalent AI governance body, delivered in the months following a core training programme. Rather than a one-off course, the clinics keep governance active: reviewing progress against champions' roadmaps, working through real questions raised by live AI projects, and keeping the steering group confident enough to continue overseeing adoption without recommissioning a fresh programme.
What's included:
- ✓Facilitated review sessions timed across the year following initial training, typically quarterly
- ✓Working sessions on live governance questions raised by real AI projects
- ✓An ongoing link between the people delivering AI projects (your champions) and the people governing them (your steering group)
Best for: Organisations that have set up, or are setting up, an AI steering group or governance committee and want it actively engaged rather than a policy sitting on paper.
Is this right for you?
This programme is for you if:
- ✓Your organisation wants one person to own AI adoption, not a training exercise for many
- ✓You can sponsor a champion with protected time and senior leadership backing
- ✓You want a live AI initiative delivered, not classroom theory
- ✓You value structured, CPD-certified development (35 hours)
- ✓You can commit to six months, not just a single day
This programme is not for you if:
- ✗You want to train a large group of staff at once
- ✗You want hands-on technical ML/AI engineering training
- ✗You need a quick one-day introduction to AI
Looking for something else? Check our training courses or the AI Pathfinder for senior leadership teams.
Frequently asked questions
Who should become an AI Champion?
AI Champions is built around one capable person per organisation — the individual who will own AI adoption day to day. They should have the credibility to lead a live initiative and be sponsored by your senior leadership team with protected time to do the work.
Do I need technical skills to join?
No. The programme covers practical AI use, data literacy, business process and change management rather than technical implementation. We cover enough AI fundamentals to be credible without requiring coding or data science skills.
How much time commitment is required?
The programme runs over six months: six facilitated workshop days of 5.5 structured hours, plus six required one-to-one coaching sessions and time between sessions to lead a real AI initiative inside your business.
Can multiple people from one organisation join?
AI Champions is designed to develop one lead per organisation, and cohorts are kept small — maximum eight — so every champion gets close coaching support. If you want to put forward more than one person, get in touch to discuss options.
What happens after the six months?
Your champion will have led a live AI initiative, built a governance approach and roadmap, and presented it to your leadership team. Graduates can also choose to join the AI Wales Champions Network for a further 12 months of community support.
Is this programme CPD certified?
Yes. AI Champions is CPD certified for 35 hours through AI Wales' CPD membership (Tech Literacy CIC, CPD Member No. 22668).
What is the final assessment?
The programme closes with an assessed presentation and review — your champion presents their completed AI initiative, governance approach and roadmap to your organisation's leadership team.
What is the AI Governance Evidence Pack?
It's an add-on to AI Champions for organisations aligning to ISO/IEC 42001, the international standard for AI management systems. It produces a competence framework, impact assessment templates and risk classification templates mapped to your organisation's own AI governance requirements — practical evidence rather than generic ISO training.
Is ISO/IEC 42001 the same as ISO/IEC 27001?
No. ISO/IEC 42001 is the international standard for AI management systems. ISO/IEC 27001 is a separate standard covering information security management. The two are often confused because of the similar naming, but they address different management systems and different evidence requirements.
What are AI Steering Group Clinics?
A series of facilitated sessions delivered to an organisation's AI steering group across the months following a core programme like AI Champions. They keep governance active after the initial training ends — reviewing project progress, working through live governance questions, and keeping the steering group engaged in ongoing oversight rather than a policy sitting on paper.
Do we need AI Champions before adding the governance extensions?
Both extensions are designed to build on a core programme such as AI Champions, using the champion's live project and the organisation's emerging governance structure as the foundation. Get in touch to discuss sequencing for your organisation.
Register your interest
The AI Champions programme is now accepting expressions of interest for upcoming cohorts. Contact us to learn more or reserve your place.