🗓️ Friday 10 October, 10am -11:30am

Businesses generate data, through sales, customer interactions or internal operations. Yet many aren’t confident in understanding or applying it. This session introduces what data is, where it comes from and how it can be used to support better business outcomes.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to distinguish between different types of data and recognise their relevance in business contexts.
• Following this session, you will be able to identify the main internal and external data sources within your organisation.
• Following this session, you will be able to explain in plain terms how data can be applied to improve a specific business process or outcome.

🗓️ Friday 17 October, 10am -11:30am

All businesses use Excel and while some have migrated to tools like Google Sheets, spreadsheeting remains a universal skill. This session refreshes attendees on the basics, ensuring they can use formulas, pivot tables and charts effectively to create insightful business reports.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to apply core Excel formulas to analyse business datasets.
• Following this session, you will be able to create pivot tables to summarise large volumes of data and uncover key patterns.
• Following this session, you will be able to build simple but effective charts and reports that can be reused and updated.

🗓️ Friday 24 October, 10am – 11:30am

Businesses increasingly rely on platforms like Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite and Google Ads to understand their customers. This session explores how to get the most out of these tools, showing how their data can drive smarter marketing and sales decisions.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to navigate the basic features of Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite and Google Ads.
• Following this session, you will be able to identify which metrics are most relevant for measuring marketing and sales performance.
• Following this session, you will be able to generate a simple performance report to support decision making in your business.

🗓️ Friday 31 October, 10am – 11:30am

Many businesses still store data in ad hoc ways, spreadsheets saved on desktops, files scattered across shared drives or inconsistent systems. This session explores how data should be stored, the benefits of structured storage and the risks of poor practices.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to evaluate how your organisation currently stores its data and identify common risks or inefficiencies.
• Following this session, you will be able to describe the benefits of structured storage solutions such as databases or cloud systems compared to ad hoc storage.

Following this session, you will be able to outline practical steps to improve data storage practices, focusing on accessibility, security and scalability.

🗓️ Friday 7 November, 10am – 11:30am

Senior managers often ask for “a single version of the truth” when it comes to reporting. Dashboards provide exactly that. This session introduces platforms like Power BI and Google Looker Studio, helping businesses create live dashboards that update automatically and unify data across systems.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to design a simple dashboard structure to track KPIs relevant to your business.
• Following this session, you will be able to connect a dashboard tool (e.g. Power BI or Looker Studio) to at least one live data source.
• Following this session, you will be able to create a basic, interactive dashboard that automatically refreshes with the latest data.

🗓️ Friday 14 November, 10am – 11:30am

Too often, businesses make decisions based on gut feel rather than evidence. This session shows how to close that gap by transforming reports into insights, tracking meaningful KPIs and embedding a culture of data led decision making.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to distinguish between raw data, insights, and actionable recommendations.
• Following this session, you will be able to set and track KPIs that align directly with your organisation’s strategic goals.
• Following this session, you will be able to use reports and dashboards to support evidence based discussions and decisions within your team.

🗓️ Friday 21 November, 10am – 11:30am

Businesses are increasingly exploring artificial intelligence to stay competitive. This session introduces how AI and machine learning can add value to business data, from predictive analytics to clustering, helping organisations spot opportunities and risks earlier.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to explain the difference between traditional analytics and AI/ML based approaches.
• Following this session, you will be able to identify at least two use cases where predictive analytics or clustering could benefit your business.
• Following this session, you will be able to interpret the output of a basic AI driven analysis and understand its implications.

🗓️ Friday 28 November, 10am – 11:30am

ChatGPT and AI agents are transforming how businesses interact with data and customers. This session focuses on natural language processing (NLP), chatbots and large language models (LLMs), showing how they can streamline customer service, automate reporting and make company data more accessible to non-technical staff.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to describe how NLP and LLMs (e.g. ChatGPT) differ from traditional tools and where they add value.
• Following this session, you will be able to identify practical use cases for AI agents and chatbots in customer service, sales and internal knowledge management.
• Following this session, you will be able to evaluate the opportunities and risks of implementing AI powered chat interfaces in your own business.

🗓️ Friday 5 December, 10am – 11:30am

Every business is responsible for how it uses data, with legal and ethical obligations under GDPR and ICO guidance. This session provides a business first overview of compliance and governance, ensuring data is managed responsibly without stifling innovation.

Learning Outcomes:

• Following this session, you will be able to explain the key principles of GDPR and how they apply to your organisation’s data.
• Following this session, you will be able to identify common compliance risks and outline steps to mitigate them.
• Following this session, you will be able to apply an ethical lens to the use of data, ensuring decisions respect both customers and employees.