Be the person who turns a messy spreadsheet into a decision, in minutes, not days.
A 6-week, practitioner-led short course in Excel, SQL, Python and Power BI, with AI woven into every session so you work dramatically faster from day one. Self-funded or through your L&D budget.
Mondays & Wednesdays, 6–8pm UK · from 14 September 2026
Live and practitioner-led, in small hands-on cohorts
14-day money-back guarantee · No questions asked
Prefer to talk it through first? Book a 15-min call →
4.8 / 5 from 78 Google reviews
900+ learners trained
Trusted by teams at
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.
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.
Want the full curriculum?
The complete breakdown of Data & AI Essentials: every session, what you build, who teaches it and how the 24 hours are spread across 6 weeks. We'll open it straight away.
A PDF you can keep or forward. By submitting, you agree to hear from us about this course by email, and by text if you share a number. Opt out anytime.
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
AI Engineer & Data Coach
20+ years in data & AI, from Accenture to Director at Dialpad, and a frontier-LLM trainer. Has coached hundreds into data careers.
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, so 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.
Before you book
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.
Book your place
Data & AI Essentials · 6 weeks · cohort of 10–15
By reserving, you agree to hear from us about your booking and our data & AI courses by email, and by text if you add a number. Opt out anytime.
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.
Want your employer to pay?
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. By submitting, you agree to hear from us about this course by email, and by text if you share a number. Opt out anytime.
Not ready to book today?
That is completely normal for a course at this level. Tell us you are interested and we will let you know when the next cohort opens. One field, no payment, and no obligation to take it.
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.
More questions
What's the time commitment?
+
Two 2-hour live sessions a week (Mondays & Wednesdays, 6–8pm UK) for 6 weeks: 24 hours of live coaching, around your job.
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.
What if I miss a session?
+
Every session is recorded, and coaches run office hours to catch you up. You won't fall behind.
What's the certificate?
+
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?
+
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.
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
Book your place on the 14 September 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
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See course →AI Automation with n8n
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See course →Want all three? The funded Data & AI Essentials apprenticeship covers the foundations of all three at L3, paid for by your employer.