Copilot Foundation Course
Link to our hands on course teaching business professionals to leverage their skills with AI
Link to our hands on course teaching business professionals to leverage their skills with AI
Copilot Foundations is a private, cohort-based training program that teaches your team to use Microsoft Copilot to eliminate busywork, automate repetitive workflows, and free up capacity for higher-value work — starting week one.
No coding required. Works with Microsoft 365 tools your team already has.
You’re paying for AI you’re not using.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is already in your technology stack. But without structured training, it stays a novelty — a tool that gets used once during a demo and then forgotten. The capability is there. The gap is knowing how to deploy it on real work.
Your best people are doing work below their pay grade.
Proposal drafting. Status updates. Data formatting. Meeting notes. These tasks consume hours every week — hours that belong on strategy, client delivery, and the work that actually grows the business. AI can take most of this off the plate. Most teams just haven’t been shown how.
The window to build an AI-native team is now.
The organizations that invest in structured AI training today will have a compounding advantage over those that wait. It isn’t about having better technology — everyone has access to the same tools. It’s about building the habits and capabilities that make those tools stick
Copilot Foundations is an 8-session curriculum designed for non-technical professionals who are ready to put Microsoft Copilot to work on real business problems. Every session is hands-on. Every exercise uses real workflows. Every participant leaves with something functional — not just knowledge.
The program is delivered as a private cohort for your team, with a dedicated instructor (Jerry Schmierer), customized to your organization’s industry and workflows.
All programs are private — your team only. No shared cohorts with other organizations.
| Format | Sessions | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 4-Week Private Cohort ★ Recommended | 8 sessions over 4 weeks, 2/week · ~2 hrs each · at your location | $10,000 |
| 6-Week Private Cohort | 8 sessions over 6 weeks · time between sessions to practice | $14,000 |
| 2-Day Intensive Bootcamp | 2 full days · tight timelines, conferences, or offsites | $9,500 |
All formats: private cohort, up to 10 participants. Flex seats for cohorts of 11–15 at $400/seat. On-site travel quoted separately.
Founding pricing is available for a limited time. Ask us during the discovery call.
No fluff. No theory for theory’s sake. Every session ends with something participants can use.
Session 1
Introduction to Intelligent Automation
Establish a shared language around AI and intelligent automation. Participants learn what Copilot can and can’t do, how it fits into their Microsoft 365 environment, and how to think about their own workflows as automation candidates.
Session 2
Workshop: Identifying Automation Opportunities
A guided workshop where participants map their own recurring tasks, identify automation leverage points, and prioritize the workflows they’ll build throughout the program. This is the foundation that makes every subsequent session immediately applicable.
Session 3
Knowledge Base & Data Reliability
Learn to build and maintain a Knowledge Base that Copilot can draw from reliably. Covers data hygiene, source structure, and how to ensure the AI is working from information you trust.
Session 4
Building with Copilot Studio
Hands-on introduction to Copilot Studio — the primary no-code environment for building Copilot solutions. Participants build their first functional Copilot application using their own data and workflows.
Session 5
Automation Workflows
Design and deploy automation workflows that eliminate the manual hand-offs draining time from your team. Participants build working flows that connect Copilot to real business processes.
Session 6
Orchestration Agents
Move from individual automations to orchestrated agents — AI systems that manage multi-step processes, route decisions, and operate across tools. Participants build agents that handle end-to-end workflows independently.
Session 7
CUA & Human-in-the-Loop
Explore Computer Use Agents (CUA) and design effective human-in-the-loop checkpoints that keep humans in control of decisions that require judgment, while automating the rest.
Session 8
Copilot Cowork Capstone
Participants bring everything together in a final build session. Each person (or team) completes a live, working AI-assisted workflow based on a real business problem from their organization. The result is functional and deployable on day one after training ends.
Jerry Schmierer is an AI Educator, Mentor, and Coach at NovoCircle with a career-long track record of helping working professionals adopt technology to solve real problems. Over three decades as a University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor, Jerry became known as a leader in bringing information technology into the hands of people who had never thought of themselves as tech users — using practical tools to eliminate busywork and free up time for higher-value work.
That same philosophy drives his approach to AI. Jerry designed the Copilot Foundations curriculum specifically for business professionals with no coding background, building every session around hands-on practice, real workflows, and a simple principle: the goal isn’t to learn AI — it’s to stop doing work that AI can do for you.
In addition to his Plant Science degrees, he holds a graduate certificate in Management Information Systems from California State University, Chico.
Do participants need technical backgrounds or coding experience?
No. Copilot Foundations was designed from the ground up for business professionals with no coding background. Every session uses no-code tools inside Microsoft 365, and all exercises are built around real business tasks — not engineering concepts.
Does our organization need a Microsoft 365 license to participate?
Yes. Copilot Foundations is built on Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio, which require Microsoft 365 licensing. If you’re unsure whether your current subscription includes Copilot capabilities, we can help you assess that during the discovery call.
What format options are available, and what’s the time commitment per week?
The 4-Week program runs 2 sessions per week, each approximately 2 hours, delivered at your location. The time commitment is approximately 4 hours per week — manageable for working professionals. Expanded 6-week and 2-day intensive options are also available.
How many participants can join, and can we include people from different departments?
Standard cohorts accommodate up to 10 participants. We can flex to 15 at an additional $400 per seat. Cross-departmental cohorts work well — participants often find that building automations across functions increases impact. We’ve run cohorts with operations, HR, finance, and client services teams participating together.
What do participants actually build during the training?
Participants build real deliverables during each session: a working Knowledge Base, live automation workflows that replace manual hand-offs, Copilot Studio agents handling repetitive tasks, and a final Capstone project — a complete AI-assisted workflow built around a real business problem from their organization. Nothing is hypothetical. Everything is functional by the end of the program.
Is this a vendor pitch for Microsoft products?
No. Copilot Foundations is an independent training program delivered by NovoCircle. We are not affiliated with Microsoft and don’t receive referral fees for tool recommendations. The curriculum is built around Microsoft Copilot because it’s the most accessible and widely deployed AI toolset for business teams — but our focus is on your team’s outcomes, not any vendor relationship.
Cohorts are private, small, and filling now. Book a 20-minute discovery call to talk through your team’s goals and find the right format.