Course title: AI at Work: AI for Beginners

Level: Beginner. No experience needed. If you can send a WhatsApp message, you can do this course.

Duration: Self-paced — about 4 hours of reading, practice and quizzes across 7 chapters.

Format: Text lessons, short practice activities, a quiz after every chapter, a final assessment and a certificate of completion.

What the learner needs: A phone or computer with internet, and a free AI assistant: ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot or Meta AI in WhatsApp. All have free versions.

Price: R199 once-off (online)

Certificate: PurpleGrowth certificate of completion, issued automatically on completion of all chapters and the final assessment

Course outcomes

By the end of this course the learner will be able to:

• Explain in plain words what AI is, what it can do and what it cannot do

• Set up and use a free AI assistant on your phone

• Write clear instructions (prompts) that get useful answers

• Use AI to write emails, CVs, cover letters, messages and short reports in your own voice

• Use AI for everyday admin: summarising, planning, making lists and tables, and translating

• Use AI for customer service, quotes, social media posts and simple business tasks

• Recognise AI mistakes, protect personal information (POPIA), and spot AI scams

• Build a daily AI habit and complete a real task from your own work with AI

Further free resources

Public resources learners can use after the course. All free at the time of writing.

• Google AI Essentials (free introductory material) — https://grow.google/ai-essentials/

• Accenture Learning to Earning — free Generative AI courses (South Africa) — https://www.l2eportal.accenture.com/?content-lang=en-ZA

• MTN Skills Academy — free Introduction to AI skill path (Microsoft) — https://skillsacademy.mtn.com/

• Information Regulator (South Africa) — POPIA guidance — https://inforegulator.org.za/

• South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) — scam awareness — https://www.sabric.co.za/