Data & AI Essentials Course: Master Excel, SQL, Python & Power BI with AI
A 6-week, practitioner-led data analytics short course covering Excel, SQL, Python, Pandas, Power BI and Tableau — with AI woven into every session so you work far faster. Built for working professionals who want to read, clean, analyse and visualise data with confidence. You finish with an iO-Sphere certificate of completion; from £995, and often funded by employer L&D budgets.
Next cohort: 13 July 2026
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4.8 / 5
900+ learners trained
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Why this matters now
- Data crosses every desk now — most of us were never trained for it.
- Half of UK workers had no data-skills training in the prior two years (UK Gov, 2021).
- Copilot and ChatGPT are everywhere. Knowing how to use them well on real data isn't.
Data and AI fluency is the new baseline. Six weeks — and AI in every session — gets you there.
What you'll be able to do
Build, automate and report in Excel and Sheets — fast.
Formulas, XLOOKUP, PivotTables, cleaning messy data. With AI to write formulas, explain errors, and suggest structure.
Query databases with SQL, without waiting for the data team.
SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY on real datasets — and AI that turns plain English into SQL and debugs it instantly.
Automate cleaning and analysis in Python and Pandas.
DataFrames, filtering, groupby, reusable cleaning pipelines. AI generates the boilerplate so you focus on the logic.
Build dashboards stakeholders actually use.
Power BI and Tableau from scratch — connect sources, model data, tell the story. AI suggests DAX, visuals and narrative.
Tell the story behind the numbers.
Present findings clearly to any audience. Use AI to draft commentary, sharpen headlines, and structure the narrative.
Use AI as a data co-pilot — responsibly.
Prompt patterns for data tasks, and the judgement to know when to verify AI output yourself. The skill that compounds.
Tools you'll work with
Week 0
You stare at a 2,000-row spreadsheet and know there's an answer in there somewhere. You email the data team and wait three days.
Week 5
You pull the answer yourself in twenty minutes, build a dashboard that explains it, and the data team starts asking how you did it.
Is this for you?
You'll recognise yourself if:
- Business analysts who want to work faster and go deeper with data
- Operations, finance or marketing professionals upskilling where they are
- Career changers moving into a data role — no background needed
- Anyone who works with spreadsheets and wants to go much further
Who this isn't for
- ·Experienced analysts (2+ years) — look at our Advanced Data & AI apprenticeship
- ·People who want to build AI tools and automations — see AI Automation with n8n
- ·Leaders who want AI strategy, not hands-on tools — see AI Strategy for Leaders
Curriculum
Two 2-hour live sessions a week · evenings
- Foundations
Data Fundamentals + Excel / Sheets Mastery
Types of data, reading tables, basic stats. XLOOKUP, PivotTables, IF/SUMIF, cleaning messy datasets. AI writes formulas from plain English and explains errors from session one.
You walk away with: A cleaned dataset with PivotTables you can explain.
- Foundations
SQL Foundations
SELECT, WHERE, GROUP BY and JOINs on real datasets. Understanding relational databases. AI drafts your first queries — you learn the logic, AI handles the syntax.
You walk away with: Your first SQL queries producing real answers from a real database.
- Foundations
SQL → Pandas Bridge
Introduction to Python and Pandas. DataFrames, filtering, groupby. Translate SQL logic into Python so you move fluidly between tools. AI converts queries and explains unfamiliar functions.
You walk away with: The same analysis, done in both SQL and Python.
- Build
Data Cleaning in Pandas
Nulls, deduplication, type casting. Real-world project: clean a messy CSV from scratch and build a reusable pipeline. AI suggests the cleaning plan; you refine it.
You walk away with: A reusable, end-to-end cleaning pipeline on real data.
- Build
Power BI — Basics to Storytelling
Connect sources, build visuals, DAX basics, dashboard design. From first visual to a finished interactive report. AI generates DAX, suggests chart types, and drafts the narrative.
You walk away with: A working dashboard wired to live data.
- Capstone
BI Tools Workshop + AI-Powered Capstone
Tableau and Power BI workshops. Consolidate everything into a capstone: raw data → interactive dashboard → stakeholder narrative, with AI as your co-pilot and coaches challenging you to improve on its output.
You walk away with: A finished capstone dashboard ready to show at your next review.
Your coaches
Industry professionals, not lecturers. They've done the job you want to do.
Izzy Weber
Head Coach
DataCamp and PwC. Knows what employers actually look for.
Tash Joslin
Data Coach
20+ years in data strategy. Co-founded Mojo.
Jen Godlonton
Head of Curriculum
Previously Black Swan Data. Heads curriculum at iO-Sphere.
Jonas Torres
Head Part-time Coach
Real-world data expertise from Truv.
Abdul Mafe
Data & AI Coach
Enterprise data governance at Three Network.
Martin Stanley
Data Analytics Coach
Data analytics leadership across consulting, retail and telco (BT Group).
Andrew Lane
Data & AI Coach
Governance and AI ethics. Trained as a lawyer.
How you'll practise
Bring your own work data where you can — that's where this gets useful fastest. Where you can't (sensitive, NDA'd, or just not relevant), we give you access to PRISM — iO-Sphere's simulation platform built on real business data, used by our enterprise clients.
Honestly, iO-Sphere was one of the best decisions I've made. I came in nervous from a non-traditional background, but I never once felt like I didn't belong.
Ioana Mihaescu — iO-Sphere graduate
What you get
24 hours live coaching
Two 2-hour evening sessions a week across 6 weeks.
All sessions recorded
Catch up on your schedule if you miss one.
Weekly office hours
Bring real work problems to a coach 1:1.
Cohort community
Small group of 10–15 — you finish knowing them.
Certificate of completion
An iO-Sphere certificate — yours to keep.
14-day money-back
Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked.
Most asked before applying
Do I need any prior experience?+
No prior data or coding experience required. If you can use a spreadsheet, you're ready — we take you from there.
Can I get my employer to pay?+
Yes — use the "Get the L&D business case" button. We'll generate a personalised PDF you can send your manager, with ROI framing and a template request email.
What if it's not for me?+
Full refund within the first 14 days, no questions asked.
Reserve your place
Data & AI Essentials · 6 weeks · cohort of 10–15
14-day money-back guarantee · Secure checkout by Stripe
What happens the moment you book
- Your place is confirmed. An instant confirmation lands in your inbox and your seat in the next cohort is secured.
- You're invited to your course space. A Teachfloor invite to Data & AI Essentials — your home for the live sessions, materials and your cohort.
- Meet your coach, Jonas Torres. A practitioner who's done the work — with a welcome and the pre-course steps to hit the ground running.
- Get set up before week one. Your schedule, joining details and everything you need arrive well before the cohort starts.
Want your employer to pay? Get the L&D business case to forward to your manager, or book a 15-min call.
Get the L&D business case
A ready-to-forward, one-page case for funding Data & AI Essentials— send it to your manager or L&D team to get sign-off. We'll open it instantly.
One page, on letterhead. No spam — we'll only follow up about this course.
Be the person on your team who turns a spreadsheet into a decision.
Plus an iO-Sphere certificate of completion — yours to keep and add to your CV.
Common questions
What's the time commitment?
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Two 2-hour live sessions a week for 6 weeks — 24 hours of live coaching, in the evening, around your job.
Do I need any prior experience?
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No prior data or coding experience required. If you can use a spreadsheet, you're ready — we take you from there.
What if I miss a session?
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Every session is recorded, and coaches run office hours to catch you up. You won't fall behind.
What's the certificate?
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You earn an iO-Sphere certificate of completion — yours to keep and add to your CV and LinkedIn.
Can I get my employer to pay?
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Yes — use the "Get the L&D business case" button. We'll generate a personalised PDF you can send your manager, with ROI framing and a template request email.
What if it's not for me?
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Full refund within the first 14 days, no questions asked.
What data skills will I learn on this course?
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You'll learn the core data analyst toolkit end to end: spreadsheet analysis in Excel and Google Sheets, querying databases with SQL, automating analysis with Python and Pandas, and building interactive dashboards in Power BI and Tableau. Every week also shows you how to use AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) to do each of these faster — writing formulas, drafting SQL, generating cleaning code and suggesting visualisations.
Is this a data analytics course or a data science course?
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It's a practical data analytics and data fluency course. The focus is on the skills professionals use every day to turn raw data into decisions — querying, cleaning, analysing and visualising — rather than machine learning or statistical modelling. If you want to confidently work with data in a business role, this is the right level.
Do I need to know how to code to learn SQL and Python?
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No. The course assumes you can use a spreadsheet and takes you from there. You'll write real SQL and Python, but you learn the logic step by step, with AI as a co-pilot for syntax. Most learners are surprised how quickly they're producing working queries and scripts.
How is AI used throughout the course?
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AI is built into every week, not bolted on as a separate module. You'll use ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot to write Excel formulas from plain English, draft and debug SQL, generate Pandas cleaning code, and produce DAX and dashboard narratives in Power BI — then learn the judgement to verify and improve on what the AI gives you.
Will I get a certificate?
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Yes — an iO-Sphere certificate of completion to add to your CV and LinkedIn. More importantly, you finish with a portfolio dashboard built on real data that you can show at your next review.
What our learners say
“I'm in HR so I went in thinking most of it wouldn't apply to me, but I ended up automating parts of our HR process and building a system that flags people ready for promotion. Would definitely recommend if you're in a non-technical role.”
Steph
trustpilot
“A great balance between technical capability and real-world application. What really sets iO-Sphere apart is the emphasis on communication and storytelling — a critical skill in any data role.”
Sheena Shah
“The combination of technical training and soft skills development has been incredibly valuable, and it played a huge role in helping me secure my dream job.”
Carlos Gomes
“What stood out most was how practical it was. Rather than just learning theory, I worked on realistic business problems using large datasets. Really valuable experience.”
Keni Duguma
“We enrolled two of our analysts and both came back more capable and more confident. The programme paid for itself inside a quarter. We're already planning to put a third person through.”
Sarah Holt
L&D Manager
“A well-structured, thoughtful programme with a strong emphasis on practical skills. The curriculum is clearly designed by people who understand how data is actually used.”
Kemal Yusuf
“It was a very detailed programme. We covered data dictionaries, data governance, business drivers, OKRs, KPIs, customer segmentation, and A/B testing. All the coaches were amazing!”
Gloria Ayoola
“This course has been extremely great. It has taken me from no skills in data to being a fully fledged data analyst.”
Stacey Carroll
“Honestly, iO-Sphere was one of the best decisions I've made. I came in nervous from a non-traditional background, but I never once felt like I didn't belong.”
Ioana Mihaescu
“I started as someone quite lost in my job hunt. With the help of the coaches, I managed to secure a new role and feel much more confident from an upskilling and employability perspective.”
Mahli
“It improved my technical skills from nothing to being adept at Excel, SQL, and Power BI. I would definitely recommend this to anyone trying to upskill.”
Lachlan Brown
“A transformative intense experience. Great team and great training that prepares you for the work environment.”
A S
“I joined because I wanted proper certification to validate the skills I'd already built — not to pivot careers, but to formalise and level up what I was doing in data. And it delivered exactly that.”
Chris Thomas
Reserve your place for the 13 July 2026 cohort
From £995 · or 3× £332 interest-free · 14-day money-back guarantee · Cohort of 10–15 — small and hands-on.
Other short courses
Want all three? The funded Data & AI Essentials apprenticeship covers the foundations of all three at L3, paid for by your employer.