UK employers can now get five AI qualifications for their staff through a single apprenticeship at no cost

A growing number of UK employers are discovering they can upskill their entire workforce in AI and automation without spending a penny, thanks to a Level 4 apprenticeship that bundles up to five industry qualifications into a single programme, all fully funded through the Apprenticeship Levy.

TESS Group, an Ofsted Good training provider working with employers including the Financial Times, EDF Energy, Transport for London, DPD, and NHS England, has built its AI & Automation Practitioner programme around a simple idea: AI skills shouldn't be limited to IT departments, and employers shouldn't have to pay extra for professional certifications.

The 15 to 18 month programme is designed for employees at every level, from front-line staff to senior leaders. There's no coding required. Learners work with tools like Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and Power Automate to build practical AI and automation skills they can apply to their day job from month one. 

It's equally suited to a team leader looking to make better use of AI across their department as it is to someone in an operational or support role. For organisations that run on Google Workspace rather than Microsoft, the programme can be tailored to Google's AI tools instead.

What makes it unusual is what's included. Where most training providers deliver only the apprenticeship standard, TESS Group embeds up to five additional qualifications at no extra cost: Microsoft AI Business Professional (AB-730), NCFE Level 3 certificates in Cyber Security and Data, NCFE AI Prompt Engineering, and BCS certification. Employers don't pay for any of it. 

The full programme is funded at £18,000 through the Apprenticeship Levy for levy-paying employers, with 95% government funding available for smaller businesses.

"Most employers have no idea they can get this many qualifications wrapped into one apprenticeship," Rod Doyle, Director and Founder of TESS Group told That's Business.

"They're already paying the levy. This is money they've already spent sitting in a pot that expires after 24 months if they don't use it. 

"We're helping them turn that into real capability across their teams, not just in IT, but in HR, finance, operations, marketing, every department. And it works just as well for leaders as it does for the people they manage."

The business case is straightforward. Learners typically reclaim over 10 hours a week by automating repetitive workflows, and because they're applying what they learn directly to their role throughout the programme, the return on investment starts immediately rather than after graduation.

All sessions are delivered live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with new cohorts starting every month. Employers can enrol a single learner or run a private cohort tailored to their sector and challenges. For organisations wanting dedicated AI leadership development, TESS Group also offers specialist pathways for people leaders, operations managers, and coaching professionals, each with CMI management qualifications built in.

TESS Group currently delivers to over 100 employers across England and has trained over 10,000 learners, with a 59% distinction rate against a national average of around 20%. The provider holds a 97% employer satisfaction rate and a 4.9 out of 5 rating from over 680 verified reviews on Google and Trustpilot.

Employers interested in using their Apprenticeship Levy for AI training can book a free 15-minute discovery call at www.thetessgroup.com or contact info@thetessgroup.com.

LearnPro Group Acquires RiVR to Enhance its Immersive Learning Offer

LearnPro Group, backed by Apiary Capital, today announced the acquisition of key immersive training products and technologies from RiVR (Reality in Virtual Reality Ltd.), marking a major expansion of the Group’s virtual reality learning capabilities across emergency services, healthcare, defence, industrial and wider safety‑critical sectors.

The deal includes the innovative “Classroom in a Box” video-based RiVR Link training solution, as well as RiVR Fire Investigate and RiVR Crime Scene Investigate, which rely on advanced photorealistic capture and simulation technologies.

A team of nine specialists responsible for developing and operating these products, led by Bradley Woodward, has now joined LearnPro Group and will continue to work from their existing site in Southam, Warwickshire, as an integrated part of LearnPro Group’s global business operations.

With this acquisition, LearnPro Group significantly strengthens its ability to deliver immersive, scenario‑based learning experiences, adding the complementary RiVR platform to its market‑leading XVR simulation suite.

The deal was supported by Elucid Partners’ Paul Turner and James Barraclough, who acted as sell-side corporate finance advisers to RiVR.

LearnPro Group CEO Costi Karayannis told That's Business: “RiVR has earned a reputation for producing exciting immersive training tools and content to support a range of use cases across emergency, health, public and other high-risk settings. 

"By bringing these innovations into LearnPro Group, we’re accelerating our mission to provide the most advanced, flexible, and impactful learning ecosystem available today.”

RiVR’s Bradley Friend Woodward told us: “Joining LearnPro Group allows us to take the technologies we’ve built to the next level. This partnership gives our team the resources, reach, and strategic alignment we need to accelerate innovation and deliver even greater value to customers. It’s an exciting next step.”

RiVR’s technologies are used across the UK, North America, Asia and Australasia. They combine high-quality video and VR and AR environments, built from real‑world burns, crime scenes, and high‑risk scenarios, enable learners to safely practice complex decision‑making, evidence gathering, and operational procedures with unprecedented realism. 

In particular, the Classroom in a Box solution, RiVR Link, allows users to build impactful video-based learning in an agile, effective way.

RiVR’s immersive solutions naturally complement LearnPro Group’s XVR VR simulation platform. Together, these solutions provide a more comprehensive range of products and training experiences that connect theory, simulation, assessment, and real‑world scenario practice.

https://learnprogroup.com

Aevitium Shortlisted for UK StartUp Awards for Its Approach to Board-Level Decision-Making

Aevitium, a London-based risk and governance advisory firm, has been named a regional finalist in the UK StartUp Awards 2026.

The company is shortlisted in the Professional Services StartUp of the Year category for the London region, recognising its focus on supporting decision-making in environments where complexity, speed and scrutiny are increasing.

The UK StartUp Awards was launched to recognise the UK’s growing startup ecosystem, with approximately 832,000 new businesses registered in 2025.

Over 900 businesses have been shortlisted across ten regions this year, collectively creating nearly 5,000 jobs and generating over £150 million in annual revenue.

Organisations are operating in an environment of increasing complexity, driven by regulatory pressure, rapid technological change and heightened expectations from stakeholders. 

As a result, the quality and timing of decision-making have become critical factors in organisational performance and resilience. 

In many organisations, this complexity is matched by increasing investment in frameworks, yet decision outcomes remain inconsistent.

Founded in 2023, Aevitium works with boards, executives and senior risk leaders in complex and regulated environments. The firm focuses on helping organisations ensure they are addressing the right problem before committing time, capital and reputation. By combining structured diagnostics with governance design, Aevitium supports leadership teams navigating strategic change and increasing complexity.

The business was shaped by the founder’s early exposure to entrepreneurship, where the consequences of both strong and poor decision-making were experienced first-hand. This informed a focus on strengthening decision-making at its source, rather than relying solely on frameworks and controls.

“I’ve seen first-hand how strong organisations can still make poor decisions, not because they lack capability, but because they are solving the wrong problems,”Julien Haye, Managing Director of Aevitium LTD said to That's Business.

“Aevitium was created to help leaders step back, challenge assumptions and bring clarity to critical decisions before action is taken.”

A key development for the firm has been the introduction of its VERIGRITY™ diagnostic, a structured approach that enables organisations to identify hidden weaknesses in governance and decision-making. This allows leadership teams to move beyond reactive fixes and address underlying structural issues, improving the reliability of outcomes in complex and fast-moving environments.

Regional winners will progress to the national final at Ideas Fest in September 2026.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, co-founder of the UK StartUp Awards, told us: “New businesses are the driving force behind any thriving economy, generating employment, pioneering innovation and contributing to prosperity across the UK. 

"This year’s finalists represent the very best of British entrepreneurial talent. The standard of entries in 2026 has been exceptional, and every finalist should be proud of what they have achieved.”

The UK StartUp Awards, founded by Frankie James and Professor Dylan Jones-Evans as part of Ideas Community, is the UK’s largest independent startup awards programme. Now in its fifth year, the awards received over 2,000 entries in 2026. Regional winners will go on to compete at the national final, held at Ideas Fest in September.

For more information, visit https://startupawards.uk

https://www.aevitium.com

Impact Investing Gets a Youth Vote: Triodos Wins Endowments Challenge

A coalition of six UK charitable foundations has named Triodos Investment Management as the winner of the Endowments Investing Challenge, a new initiative designed to rethink how charity endowments can deliver both financial returns and meaningful social impact.

The challenge invited investment firms to propose fresh approaches to managing a potential £50 million mandate, with a strong emphasis on long-term benefit for future generations. Interest was high: 60 organisations applied, with five finalists selected to present their strategies at a live event attended by charities, impact investors and young people.

After a series of presentations and a live audience vote, Triodos came out on top.

James Anthony, Social Investment Portfolio Manager at Friends Provident Foundation, said the winning proposal stood out because of its “child-lens investing” framework, designed to prioritise outcomes for younger and future generations alongside financial returns.

For Triodos, the win represents validation of a growing movement in ethical investing.

Hadewych Kuiper, Managing Director of Investments at Triodos Investment Management, described the result as “an incredibly proud moment”, adding that the firm’s Future Generations strategy puts the wellbeing of tomorrow’s society at the centre of every investment decision.

A new voice in investment decisions

One of the most striking aspects of the initiative was the role played by a Future Generations Panel, a group of seven young adults from across the UK who were involved throughout the process.

After reviewing the five shortlisted investment strategies, the panel recommended that the audience vote for Triodos, a recommendation that was ultimately backed in the live vote.

For organisers, the moment highlighted the value of giving younger voices real influence over decisions that will shape their future.

Panel member Izzy explained the group had set clear criteria from the start: they wanted an investment approach that avoids harm but also actively contributes to positive outcomes for future generations.

Triodos impressed the panel with both the clarity of its strategy and its transparency during questioning.

A collaborative push for change

The Endowments Investing Challenge was organised by six foundations: The Blagrave Trust, The Children’s Society, Cripplegate Foundation, Friends Provident Foundation, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Vivensa Foundation. Supporting partners included the John Ellerman Foundation, the Robertson Trust, the Impact Investing Institute, Gallagher and ShareAction.

Together, the group hopes the project will encourage a wider shift in how charitable capital is invested.

Jaspal Sian, Investment Portfolio Manager at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said collaboration is key to transforming the sector. By working together, foundations can build an ecosystem that treats wealth as a tool for tackling society’s biggest challenges rather than reinforcing them.

What happens next?

The process is not quite finished. Advisory firm Gallagher will now conduct further due diligence on Triodos Investment Management. Final investment decisions will then be made by the trustees and investment committees of the participating foundations.

If approved, the initiative could unlock up to £50 million in impact-focused investments, setting a powerful precedent for how charitable endowments might be deployed in the future.

For the investment industry, the message is clear: the next generation is ready to have a say in how capital shapes their world.

https://friendsprovidentfoundation.org

International Fun at Work Day: Why a Little Laughter is Serious Business

Every year on 1 April, workplaces around the world mark International Fun at Work Day, and despite the date coinciding with April Fool’s Day, the idea behind it is anything but a joke.

In an era of burnout, remote working fatigue, and increasingly demanding workloads, businesses are discovering that injecting a little fun into the working day can have real and measurable benefits.

Why Fun Matters in the Workplace

For decades, workplace culture was built on the belief that seriousness equalled productivity. Yet modern research increasingly shows the opposite.

Employees who enjoy their work environment tend to be:

More productive

More creative

More loyal to their employer

Less likely to suffer burnout

When people feel relaxed and valued, they collaborate better, communicate more openly, and contribute ideas more freely. In short, morale improves, and when morale improves, businesses benefit.

The Cost of a Joyless Workplace

A workplace that is relentlessly serious can quickly become draining. Staff disengagement leads to reduced productivity, higher absenteeism and increased staff turnover.

Replacing an employee can cost thousands of pounds in recruitment, training, and lost productivity, so creating an environment where people actually enjoy coming to work is not just nice, it's financially sensible.

International Fun at Work Day reminds employers that culture is not built through policies alone, but through everyday experiences.

Simple Ways to Bring Fun Into the Workplace

The good news is that workplace fun doesn’t require expensive team-building retreats or complicated programmes.

Some simple ideas include:

Team quizzes or mini competitions

A quick lunchtime quiz or puzzle challenge can energise teams and spark friendly rivalry.

Dress-down or themed days

Allowing staff to ditch the formal attire occasionally can help break routine.

Celebrating small wins

Acknowledging team achievements, even small ones, helps build positivity.

Shared food moments

From cake mornings to pizza lunches, food is one of the simplest ways to bring people together.

Office humour

A tasteful April Fool’s joke, a funny noticeboard, or a light-hearted Slack channel can all contribute to a healthier atmosphere.

The Leadership Factor

Fun at work doesn’t happen by accident. It usually reflects leadership attitudes.

When managers show warmth, encourage laughter and allow personality to flourish, employees feel more comfortable bringing their full selves to work.

Crucially, “fun” should never feel forced. Authenticity matters. The best workplaces allow humour and enjoyment to develop naturally rather than mandating it.

Fun Is a Competitive Advantage

In today's competitive labour market, workplace culture is a powerful recruitment and retention tool.

Younger employees in particular increasingly prioritise workplace environment and wellbeing alongside salary. Companies that foster positive, engaging workplaces often find it easier to attract top talent.

International Fun at Work Day is therefore a useful reminder: businesses that take morale seriously may find themselves laughing all the way to stronger performance.

After all, a workplace where people enjoy coming in each morning is not just good for staff, it’s good for business, too.

Imagine a world where you can shape the choices and behaviours of others? New Book Explains How

Imagine a world where you can shape the choices and behaviours of others, of consumers. A branded bag, a phone, a vaccine, a weapon, a political election. Whatever the product, the action, or the idea.

It’s time to set aside the old mantra of “consumer first.” Instead, let’s embrace the power to influence, to strategically guide the decisions of the end user.

A fundamental transformation is reshaping the discipline of marketing. 

What was once centred on products, brands, and communication has evolved into a system capable of observing, predicting, and shaping human behaviour at scale. 

In Contemporary Marketing, Gaetano Lo Presti presents a rigorous and original framework that captures this transformation and redefines the role of marketing in contemporary society.

The book advances a clear argument. Marketing is no longer limited to identifying needs and facilitating exchange. It has become a structured system of behavioural influence, grounded in data analysis, behavioural science, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. In this new context, organisations do not simply respond to demand. They actively participate in shaping it.

“Marketing is no longer about selling products,” Lo Presti told That's Business. “It is about understanding how decisions are formed and how they can be guided.”

Drawing on both academic research and professional experience, Contemporary Marketing traces the evolution of the discipline from its historical origins to its current form as a system of behavioural intelligence.

It examines how organisations operate across a range of sectors, including retail, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, defence, security, and political communication, where influencing perception and guiding decision-making have become central strategic concerns.

The work challenges the traditional assumption that the consumer is a passive endpoint of market activity. Instead, it presents the consumer as part of a dynamic system in which preferences, perceptions, and behaviours are continuously shaped through designed environments, data-driven insights, and strategic communication.

This shift reflects a broader transformation in economic and social systems. Markets are no longer defined solely by transactions. They are defined by the capacity to influence choices at scale. In this context, marketing becomes one of the primary mechanisms through which organisations manage complexity, reduce uncertainty, and shape outcomes.

More than a conventional marketing text, Contemporary Marketing offers a new conceptual framework for understanding influence in a data-driven and technologically mediated world. It is intended for scholars, professionals, policymakers, and decision-makers seeking to understand how behaviour is analysed, predicted, and shaped in contemporary society.

In Contemporary Marketing, Gaetano Lo Presti presents a rigorous and original redefinition of the discipline, arguing that marketing has evolved far beyond its classical foundations. No longer confined to products, brands, and communication, it has become a system of behavioural intelligence capable of observing, predicting, and shaping human decision-making.

Considered the father of contemporary marketing, Lo Presti develops a comprehensive theoretical framework grounded in data analysis, behavioural science, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. Through this lens, marketing is understood not simply as a response to demand, but as a strategic mechanism for influencing perception, structuring choice, and directing behaviour in complex environments.

The book traces the evolution of marketing from its early conceptual foundations to its current form as a pervasive and adaptive system of influence. It examines how modern organisations operate across multiple domains, including retail, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, defence, security, and political communication, where marketing functions as a tool for managing uncertainty and shaping outcomes.

Bringing together academic depth and practical insight, this work offers a new perspective on how influence is organised in contemporary society. It challenges established assumptions and proposes a shift from the traditional management of exchange to the strategic design of behavioural environments.

Contemporary Marketing is intended for scholars, professionals, policymakers, and decision-makers who seek to understand the forces shaping human behaviour in the twenty-first century.

At its core, the book advances a clear and compelling argument: marketing is no longer a function. It is a system.

The book will be distributed internationally and translated into multiple languages including English, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, reflecting its global relevance and its ambition to contribute to the evolution of marketing theory and practice worldwide.

https://www.loprestineural.com

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