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The Marketing
Trainer
Level 4 AI apprenticeship · ST1512 · Marketing pathway

AI in Marketing apprenticeship (Level 4)

From understanding how AI really works to leading adoption across the business. 17 practical training days over 13 months, each one leaving the apprentice with something real in use at work, then the end-point assessment in months 14 and 15. Funding band £18,000. Delivered remotely across England by The Marketing Trainer.

Book a free callSee the 17 days

Reviewed by Ashleigh Gorton, .

17

practical training days

15

months from start to final assessment

Build, not just learn

A live website, dashboard, automations, SEO platform and chatbot, all built around the apprentice’s employer.

The training days at a glance

Tap a day for the full detail

  1. Day 1AI for marketers, from the inside outUnderstand the engine before you drive it.Month 1
  2. Day 2Using AI safely, legally and ethicallyBe the person in your team who knows where the lines are.Month 1
  3. Day 3Prompting like a pro with ClaudeStop retyping the same instructions. Start building a toolkit.Month 2
  4. Day 4Mapping the opportunity and measuring what mattersFind where AI will make the biggest difference, then prove it.Month 2
  5. Day 5Setting up your own tech stackThe foundations most marketers never get to touch.Month 3
  6. Day 6Build a marketing website with AIFrom brief to live site in a day.Month 3
  7. Day 7Data dashboards, APIs and GitHubPut your marketing data where people can actually see it.Month 4
  8. Day 8On-brand AI imagery with MidjourneyCampaign-ready visuals without the photoshoot budget.Month 4
  9. Day 9Building a creative pipeline with WeavyTurn one idea into a full suite of assets, automatically.Month 5
  10. Day 10Marketing automation with MakePut the busywork on autopilot.Month 6
  11. Day 11Research automation with n8nCompetitor intelligence that gathers itself.Month 7
  12. Day 12Getting found in AI searchSEO is changing. Be ready.Month 8
  13. Day 13Build your own SEO platformWhy rent an SEO tool when you can build one?Month 9
  14. Day 14Building and testing an AI chatbotA brand assistant that actually knows your brand.Month 10
  15. Day 15Data quality and biasGreat AI starts with good data.Month 11
  16. Day 16Designing for humansAI that people actually want to use.Month 12
  17. Day 17Leading AI adoption in your businessYour builds are only as good as the people using them.Month 13
  18. EPA prepEnd-point assessment preparation dayWalk in knowing exactly what the assessor will ask.Month 14
  19. AssessmentPortfolio interviewThe final assessment, and the end of the apprenticeship.Month 15
About the provider

The Marketing Trainer is the trading name of Game-On Coaching Limited (company number 09946328), listed on the Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register under UKPRN 10092406.

We deliver the Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation practitioner (level 4) apprenticeship fully remotely, to employers anywhere in England. Our base is in Coventry; your apprentice trains from your workplace.

Ofsted inspected us on 19 May 2026 and judged us to reach the Strong standard for Achievement and Curriculum and teaching. Read our Ofsted report card.

In 2025/26, 89.5% of our apprentices achieved their apprenticeship — 34 of 38 — against a national average of 65%. All 34 who achieved gained a merit or distinction, and 62% achieved a distinction. See how we worked those figures out.

We help employers find the right apprentice, not just train them. See the candidates near your business.

Check us on Find apprenticeship training, Ofsted and Companies House.

What is the AI in Marketing apprenticeship?

Our marketing pathway through the level 4 Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation practitioner standard (ST1512): the government-funded apprenticeship for people who find, build and roll out AI and automation in their team’s day-to-day work.

The standard was written for any sector. It trains someone to map how a team works, spot where AI and automation would help, build the solution with low-code and no-code tools, test and document it, bring colleagues along, and show the return. We deliver it for marketing teams: every training day starts from a marketing problem, and everything the apprentice builds, from a website and a dashboard to automations, a creative pipeline and a chatbot, is built for their own employer.

It suits a marketer already in post who is expected to be the person who “does the AI”, and a business that would rather have that capability on the payroll than rent it. We deliver the training fully remotely, to employers anywhere in England; our base is in Coventry and the apprentice trains from their workplace.

The standard itself is published by Skills England: Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation practitioner (ST1512 v2.1) .

The programme

Seventeen training days. Fifteen months. One confident AI practitioner.

Six taught stages over thirteen months, then a seventh for the end-point assessment: a preparation day in month 14 and the portfolio interview in month 15. Pick a stage on the timeline, or switch to outcomes to see everything the apprentice will have built.

Month 1Month 15

Full detail shows every day; outcomes shows only what the apprentice leaves each day with.

1

Understand

Month 1

Day 1
Month 1

AI for marketers, from the inside out

Understand the engine before you drive it.

Find out what's really happening when an AI tool writes your copy: tokens, next-token prediction, context windows, temperature and knowledge cut-offs, explained in plain English. You'll look at the main models and pricing tiers, run the same brief through different LLMs and see why the results vary, then connect it all back to your marketing strategy.

Try it: see the tokens

Our unbeatable summer collection launches tomorrow!

13 tokens · a simplified illustration of how models split text

Try it: turn up the temperature

Which word comes next? “Our new summer range is …”

  • available71%
  • here20%
  • perfect6%
  • selling2%
  • sizzling0%
  • unforgettable0%

You’ll leave with

A clear understanding of how AI works, and why that makes you better at using it.

Day 2
Month 1

Using AI safely, legally and ethically

Be the person in your team who knows where the lines are.

Data protection, copyright, bias, transparency and brand risk. This is where AI enthusiasm meets real-world responsibility. You'll work through real marketing scenarios and start shaping how your own team should (and shouldn't) use AI.

You’ll leave with

The confidence to use AI boldly without putting your brand, customers or employer at risk, and the first draft of an AI use policy for your business.

2

Plan

Month 2

Day 3
ClaudeMonth 2

Prompting like a pro with Claude

Stop retyping the same instructions. Start building a toolkit.

Go well beyond "write me a social post". You'll learn structured prompting, then put Claude to work with artifacts, skills and connectors, so it knows your brand, plugs into your tools and produces polished designs and documents on demand.

Compare the prompts

Prompt

Write me a social post about our summer sale.

Example output

Summer sale is here! Don't miss out on amazing deals. Shop now! #SummerSale #Deals #Sale

Illustrative example

You’ll leave with

Reusable prompts and Claude skills that save you hours every week.

Day 4
FigmaMonth 2

Mapping the opportunity and measuring what matters

Find where AI will make the biggest difference, then prove it.

Using Figma, you'll map your team's real marketing processes and spot the bottlenecks, repetitive tasks and quick wins that AI can fix. Then you'll set the KPIs and reporting that turn "we tried some AI" into "here's the return we got".

You’ll leave with

A visual process map, a prioritised list of AI opportunities, and a measurement plan your managers will love.

3

Build

Months 3–5

Day 5
SupabaseRailwayMonth 3

Setting up your own tech stack

The foundations most marketers never get to touch.

You'll set up your own database with Supabase and your own hosting with Railway, the same kind of infrastructure behind modern web apps. It's easier than it sounds, and it's what everything you build next will run on.

You’ll leave with

A live, working tech stack that belongs to you.

Day 6
Claude CodeMonth 3

Build a marketing website with AI

From brief to live site in a day.

Using Claude Code, you'll build a real, on-brand website for your employer: structure, copy, design and deployment. No drag-and-drop templates and no waiting on developers.

Claude Code
BRAND TOKENS, READ FROM YOUR GUIDE
#8195F2
#F1CF80
#141414
acme-windows.co.uk
0PERF
Live ✓
0.9s first load

You’ll leave with

A live marketing website and the skills to build the next one yourself.

Day 7
GitHubMonth 4

Data dashboards, APIs and GitHub

Put your marketing data where people can actually see it.

You'll connect to live data through APIs, build a custom dashboard that tells a clear story, and learn GitHub so your work is versioned, backed up and shareable, just like a professional development team's.

YOUR DATA, PLUGGED IN
GA4
Website
Meta Ads
Paid social
HubSpot
CRM
Marketing dashboard
Leads by week
0
sessions
£12.40
per lead−38%
3 LIVE
GitHub · main
feat: plug in GA4 + Meta
fix: api key from env
merge: release v1.2
Deployed ✓

You’ll leave with

A working dashboard built on your employer's own data.

Day 8
MidjourneyMonth 4

On-brand AI imagery with Midjourney

Campaign-ready visuals without the photoshoot budget.

Learn how to direct Midjourney like a creative lead: style references, consistency, composition and brand control. You'll also cover the rights and responsibilities that come with AI-generated imagery.

ONE STYLE REFERENCE · SIX SHOTS
PALETTE LOCKED
--sref 4821
Re-rolled, on brand
6 assets

You’ll leave with

An AI asset pack built around your employer's brand.

Day 9
WeavyMonth 5

Building a creative pipeline with Weavy

Turn one idea into a full suite of assets, automatically.

Chain AI models together in Weavy to create a repeatable creative workflow, so one concept becomes resized, restyled, multi-format content at scale.

WEAVY · CREATIVE PIPELINE
Image
Product shot
Prompt
Summer launch
Style ref
Brand kit
Model
Video + stills
OUTPUTS · EVERY FORMAT
9:16Reels
1:1Instagram
16:9YouTube
0 assets, one click

You’ll leave with

A creative production pipeline your team can use again and again.

4

Automate

Months 6–7

Day 10
MakeMonth 6

Marketing automation with Make

Put the busywork on autopilot.

Build real automations in Make that move leads, trigger emails, update records and connect your marketing tools. You'll also learn how AI solutions are planned, launched, maintained and retired, so what you build lasts.

MAKE · LEAD SCENARIO
1
Webhook
new lead
2
Enrich
company data
3
Router
score & split
4
CRM
create contact
5
Email
welcome series
6
Slack
notify sales
Run log · 0 runs this week
contact #4821 created
score 82 · hot lead
welcome email sent

You’ll leave with

Live marketing automations saving your team time from day one.

Day 11
n8nMonth 7

Research automation with n8n

Competitor intelligence that gathers itself.

Using n8n, you'll build workflows that collect competitor activity, reviews and market signals, then use AI to turn them into insight your team can act on.

N8N · RESEARCH WORKFLOW
Mon 07:00
Crawl
Competitor sites
Crawl
Reviews & ads
HTTP
LinkedIn ads
Merge
0 items
AI step
Summarise
Monday digest · 3 signals
PRICERival A cut double-glazing prices 10%
CAMPAIGNRival B launched a spring sale on Meta
REVIEWS3 new reviews mention slow lead times
Emailed to 4 people · 0 effort

You’ll leave with

An automated research engine that keeps you ahead of the market.

5

Grow

Months 8–10

Day 12
Month 8

Getting found in AI search

SEO is changing. Be ready.

Customers are asking ChatGPT, Claude and Google's AI Overviews for recommendations. You'll learn how AI search chooses which brands to mention, how to track your visibility, and what to do to improve it.

AI search · ChatGPT
RECOMMENDED
Glazewell
Northern Windows
ClearView
Acme WindowsCITED · /GUIDES
0VISIBLE
Not mentioned at all
After your Day 12 fixes
Cited on 3 of 4 platforms

What might customers ask AI about you?

  • Who are the best double glazing companies near me?
  • Which double glazing brands do people recommend?
  • Is Acme Windows a good choice for double glazing?
  • Acme Windows vs the alternatives: which should I choose?

Does your brand show up in the answers? On day 12 you’ll find out, and learn how to improve it.

You’ll leave with

An AI visibility audit and action plan for your employer.

Day 13
crawlSEOSupabaseRailwayClaude CodeMonth 9

Build your own SEO platform

Why rent an SEO tool when you can build one?

Using the crawlSEO repo, Supabase, Railway and Claude Code, you'll build your own SEMrush-style platform to crawl sites, track performance and surface fixes, then keep improving it.

crawlSEO · acme-windows.co.uk
CRAWLING0 / 1,248
Pages
0
Issues
37
Avg LCP
2.4s
/pricing200Missing H1
/blog/guide200LCP 4.1s
/old-offer404Broken link ×12
/services200Not in AI answers
0HEALTH
25 fixes shipped with Claude Code
1 left for Day 12

You’ll leave with

Your own SEO and AI search platform, built around what your business needs.

Day 14
Month 10

Building and testing an AI chatbot

A brand assistant that actually knows your brand.

Design, build and properly test a chatbot or assistant for your employer, one that answers accurately, stays on-brand and knows when to hand over to a human.

You’ll leave with

A tested, working AI assistant ready for real customers or colleagues.

6

Refine and lead

Months 11–13

Day 15
Month 11

Data quality and bias

Great AI starts with good data.

Learn how to prepare, clean and check the data behind your AI tools, and how to spot the bias that can quietly skew targeting, content and decisions.

You’ll leave with

The know-how to trust your AI outputs, and to explain why they can be trusted.

Day 16
Month 12

Designing for humans

AI that people actually want to use.

Apply user-centred and accessible design to your AI tools, so your customers and colleagues find them intuitive, inclusive and genuinely helpful.

You’ll leave with

Better, more usable versions of the tools you've built.

Day 17
Month 13

Leading AI adoption in your business

Your builds are only as good as the people using them.

Learn how to bring stakeholders with you, train colleagues, manage change and show the value your AI work has delivered. This is the day you step up from AI user to AI leader.

You’ll leave with

An adoption plan and benefits report that prove your impact, and the skills to lead AI in any marketing team.

7

Assess

Months 14–15

EPA prep
Month 14

End-point assessment preparation day

Walk in knowing exactly what the assessor will ask.

A full day on the portfolio interview: what the assessment organisation is looking for against each part of the standard, how to present the portfolio of everything you have built, and a mock interview with feedback so the real one holds no surprises.

You’ll leave with

A finished portfolio, rehearsed answers and the confidence to go into the interview.

Assessment
Month 15

Portfolio interview

The final assessment, and the end of the apprenticeship.

The portfolio interview with the independent end-point assessor: a professional discussion about the work in your portfolio and how it shows the standard's knowledge, skills and behaviours. It is the last assessment of the programme, and the apprenticeship is graded on it.

You’ll leave with

The level 4 apprenticeship, graded pass or distinction.

How does the programme map to the standard?

The standard describes the job in duties, knowledge, skills and behaviours. This is that list read through a marketing role, with the training days that cover each part.

Find the opportunities

Analyse how the team actually works, map its processes and workflows, and identify where automation and AI would improve productivity, accuracy and cost.

  • Day 4 · Mapping the opportunity and measuring what matters
  • Day 12 · Getting found in AI search

Design and simplify workflows

Simplify processes and design workflows that make use of AI and automation, choosing the right approach for the problem rather than the fashionable one.

  • Day 4 · Mapping the opportunity and measuring what matters
  • Day 9 · Building a creative pipeline with Weavy
  • Day 10 · Marketing automation with Make

Configure low-code and no-code tools

Configure and adapt platforms such as automation builders and AI assistants to solve real problems, and give informed input where a solution goes beyond them.

  • Day 3 · Prompting like a pro with Claude
  • Day 5 · Setting up your own tech stack
  • Day 10 · Marketing automation with Make
  • Day 11 · Research automation with n8n

Apply AI to add value

Put AI solutions to work where they earn their keep: chatbots and assistants, summarisation, generation, and cloud automation platforms.

  • Day 3 · Prompting like a pro with Claude
  • Day 6 · Build a marketing website with AI
  • Day 8 · On-brand AI imagery with Midjourney
  • Day 13 · Build your own SEO platform
  • Day 14 · Building and testing an AI chatbot

Build, document and test

Develop, document and test integrated digital workflows, and produce the technical and end-user materials that let other people use and maintain them.

  • Day 6 · Build a marketing website with AI
  • Day 7 · Data dashboards, APIs and GitHub
  • Day 10 · Marketing automation with Make
  • Day 11 · Research automation with n8n
  • Day 14 · Building and testing an AI chatbot

Use data responsibly

Prepare and check the data behind AI tools, understand where bias comes from, and work within data protection, copyright and the organisation's own policies.

  • Day 2 · Using AI safely, legally and ethically
  • Day 15 · Data quality and bias

Assure responsible AI

Keep clear records of design and decision-making, contribute to risk assessments, and apply assurance frameworks so what is built meets organisational, regulatory and ethical standards.

  • Day 2 · Using AI safely, legally and ethically
  • Day 15 · Data quality and bias
  • Day 16 · Designing for humans

Check the impact on people

Apply algorithmic impact assessment and workforce equality monitoring when scoping, implementing and reviewing AI, so adoption is fair and inclusive as well as efficient.

  • Day 2 · Using AI safely, legally and ethically
  • Day 15 · Data quality and bias
  • Day 16 · Designing for humans
  • Day 17 · Leading AI adoption in your business

Bring stakeholders with you

Keep colleagues, stakeholders and managers informed, train people on the tools that are adopted, and support the change management that makes adoption stick.

  • Day 4 · Mapping the opportunity and measuring what matters
  • Day 17 · Leading AI adoption in your business

Measure and report the benefit

Set the measures up front, monitor what the solution delivers once it is live, and report the return in terms the business recognises.

  • Day 4 · Mapping the opportunity and measuring what matters
  • Day 7 · Data dashboards, APIs and GitHub
  • Day 17 · Leading AI adoption in your business

The tools the apprentice works in across the programme: Claude, Claude Code, Figma, Supabase, Railway, GitHub, Midjourney, Weavy, Make, n8n, crawlSEO. They change as the tools do; the standard’s duties are what the apprenticeship is assessed against, and those stay put.

How is it assessed?

By 1st for Awarding , the independent end-point assessment organisation, on a real project at the employer and a portfolio interview in month 15, graded pass or distinction.

1st for Awardingis the end-point assessment organisation for this standard: it sets the assessment, provides the assessor and awards the grade, independently of us. The project is scoped, built and written up at work, which is why the programme is organised around building things the business will keep. The portfolio interview is a professional discussion with the assessor about that work and how it shows the standard’s knowledge, skills and behaviours. It is the last assessment of the programme.

Month 14 is given over to preparing for it: a full day on what the assessor is looking for, how to present the portfolio, and a mock interview with feedback. Month 15 is the interview itself. Apprentices also need level 2 English and maths before they can go through gateway; see the entry requirements.

What does it cost?

The funding band is £18,000. Levy-paying employers pay it from their levy account; other employers pay 5%, £900 at the full band, and the government pays the rest.

Some apprentices are fully funded depending on their age and circumstances, and the employer National Insurance exemption for apprentices under 25 sits on the other side of the ledger. The cost of a marketing apprentice explains the rules; its worked examples use the level 3 band, so scale the co-investment line to £18,000 for this one. The funding bands page compares this standard with the marketing standards.

What are the entry requirements?

A marketing role in England with real AI and automation work in it, and level 2 English and maths before the end-point assessment gateway. No coding background.

  • The role. The apprentice must be employed by an organisation in England, in a marketing role that gives them real AI and automation projects to build and run. Apprenticeships are open to existing staff as well as new recruits, provided the training is substantially new to them.
  • English and maths. Level 2 in both (GCSE grade 4, formerly a C, or an equivalent such as Functional Skills level 2) before the apprentice can go through gateway to the end-point assessment. We support anyone who does not already hold them.
  • Experience. The programme suits someone who has completed the level 3 Multi-channel marketer apprenticeship or has equivalent marketing experience. There is no coding requirement: the standard is written for low-code and no-code practitioners.

When does it start?

The first open cohort starts in January 2027. A pilot cohort is running now and is closed to new starts.

The programme is taught in cohorts: the 17 training days run to a dated calendar with a group of apprentices, so starts are fixed rather than rolling. Places for January 2027 are open now. Register your interest to reserve one, or, if you need to recruit first, see how we find the right apprentice ahead of the start.

Free · About 10 minutes

Not sure where your team’s AI skills stand?

Take our free AI skills gap analysis, written from the same standard this apprenticeship is built on. Rate yourself against its knowledge, skills and behaviours and get a personalised report showing where this programme would help most.

Check your AI skills

Common questions about the AI in Marketing apprenticeship

What level is the AI in Marketing apprenticeship, and which standard is it?

Level 4, equivalent to the first year of a degree. It is our marketing pathway through the Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation practitioner standard, reference ST1512, version v2.1. The standard is published by Skills England on the digital route; the marketing context, the tools and the projects are ours.

What is the funding band for the AI and automation practitioner apprenticeship?

£18,000, the highest band of any standard we deliver. Levy-paying employers pay it from their levy account; other employers pay 5% of the price, £900 at the full band, and the government pays the rest, with some apprentices fully funded depending on age and circumstances. How apprenticeship funding works.

How long does the AI in Marketing apprenticeship take?

15 months from start to final assessment. The 17 training days run over the first 13 months; month 14 is an end-point assessment preparation day, built around the portfolio interview; and month 15 is the portfolio interview itself, the last assessment of the programme. Apprentices spend at least 20% of their working hours on off-the-job training, all of it delivered remotely.

Do you need to be able to code?

No. The standard is written for practitioners who work with low-code and no-code tools rather than software engineers, and every day of the programme starts from a marketing problem, not a programming one. Apprentices do build real things, a website with Claude Code, a dashboard, automations in Make and n8n, but the AI does the coding and they learn to direct it, test it and keep it on brand.

Who is the AI in Marketing apprenticeship for?

Marketers already in a role who are expected to bring AI into the team's work, and new hires taking on that job. It suits someone who has done the level 3 Multi-Channel Marketer apprenticeship or has equivalent experience, and an employer that wants its marketing automation, content pipeline and reporting built by someone who will still be there to run them.

What does the apprentice actually build?

For their own employer: a live marketing website, a data dashboard on the business's own numbers, an AI asset pack and creative pipeline, marketing and research automations, an AI visibility audit, their own SEO platform, and a tested AI assistant. Each training day ends with something in use at work, which is also what the end-point assessment project draws on.

How is the AI and automation practitioner apprenticeship assessed?

By 1st for Awarding, the independent end-point assessment organisation, in two parts: a work-based project, scoped and built at the employer and written up as a report, and a portfolio interview, a professional discussion with an assessor about the portfolio of work the apprentice has built. The interview is the final assessment, in month 15, and the apprenticeship is graded pass or distinction. Month 14 is a preparation day for it, with a mock interview.

When does the AI in Marketing apprenticeship start?

The first open cohort starts in January 2027. A pilot cohort is running now and is closed to new starts. The programme is taught in cohorts, so the 17 training days run to a dated calendar rather than a rolling start; book a call to reserve a place for January 2027.

What are the entry requirements?

A marketing role at an employer in England with real AI and automation work in it, and level 2 English and maths (GCSE grade 4, formerly a C, or equivalent) before the end-point assessment gateway; we support anyone who does not already hold them. No coding background is needed. It suits someone who has completed the level 3 Multi-channel marketer apprenticeship or has equivalent experience.

Does it include a CIM qualification?

No. The CIM Level 3 Foundation Certificate in Marketing we embed belongs to the level 3 Multi-channel marketer programme. This apprenticeship leads to the level 4 Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation practitioner standard; the AI, automation and technical skills are the qualification.

Can an existing employee do it?

Yes. Apprenticeships are open to existing staff as well as new recruits, provided the role gives them real AI and automation projects to work on and the training is substantially new to them. Most of the people this programme is designed for are already in a marketing seat.

Looking for a broader grounding first? See the Multi-channel marketer apprenticeship (Level 3), with a CIM qualification built in, or the Market research executive apprenticeship (Level 4) for the research route.

Ready to build AI capability in your marketing team?

Book a free call and we'll walk through the programme, the funding you qualify for and what your apprentice would build for your business first.

📧info@themarketingtrainer.co.uk📞03301 338666Book a free call
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