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Microcredentials Webinar · NCI · 5 August 2026

88%

of organisations already use AI.

Only 6% see real performance.

McKinsey, State of AI, 2025

This gap isn't a technology problem.
It's this course.

Big Data & AI in Business: Strategy & Emerging Trends · Victor del Rosal

The confidence gap

Feeling confident and being effectively skilled are not the same thing.

Managers who feel very confident using AI HR leaders who believe their managers can actually use it well 70% 8%

This course closes that exact gap.

SnapLogic, AI at Work, Oct 2025 · Gartner, Oct 2025 survey of HR leaders

The gap, up close

You don't need to write the code.
You need to be in the room when it decides.

Almost nobody in that room can question the model yet. No coding background required.

Financial Services
ICT
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Professional Services
Public Sector
The part nobody expects

You're allowed to use ChatGPT.

This isn't a loophole. It's the syllabus. SQL and Python, taught step by step, with AI tools supporting you the whole way.

We're not testing whether you can memorise syntax. We're testing whether you can look at what the AI gave you and know if it's right.

What you'll actually be able to do

1

Business analytics

Explain the business value of analytics in plain terms, to people who fund decisions

2

Underlying technologies

Understand the tools and systems that power analytics, without having to build them yourself

3

Big data use cases

Point to where big data is already working, and where it isn't, across industries like yours

4

Strategy

Turn a data question into a strategic call

5

Communication

Build the narrative that gets stakeholders to act, not just nod

The human edge AI can't replace

The tools generate answers. These five decide whether you trust them.

Critical evaluation

Testing a model's assumptions before trusting its answer — 66% of AI users don't (KPMG & Univ. of Melbourne, 2025)

Problem framing

Deciding which question actually matters

Ethical governance

Including the EU Artificial Intelligence Act

Persuasive communication

Making the case to people who don't read code

Systems thinking

Moves the whole business — your capstone puts it to the test

Skillnet Ireland, Talent Landscape 2025 (48% cite critical thinking) · KPMG & University of Melbourne, Trust in AI, 2025

Assessment

Real data.
Real stakeholders.

Fully continuous assessment — no exams. Your final project: translate a real-world dataset into an evidence-based narrative for senior stakeholders.

The details

Timing

Sept–Dec 2026

Starts 14 September, one semester

Schedule

Thu, 6–9pm

Blended: online, plus one in-person day at NCI — Sat 19 Oct, 10am–3pm (1hr break)

Award

NFQ Level 9 · 10 ECTS

Minor award, accredited by QQI

Funded via the Micro-credential Learner Fee Subsidy 2026 (a separate scheme from Springboard+, applied for through the Springboard portal) — fees subsidised 80%, student contribution €260 due 13 Nov 2026. Full refund if withdrawn before commencement (course begins week of 21 Sept); no refund once commenced. Scheme excludes books and materials — see ncirl.ie/NewStudents. Sources: NCI course flyer · ncirl.ie Events · springboardcourses.ie/details/15886

You just heard the 6%.

Certificate in Big Data and AI in Business
84% of Irish leaders call the skills gap their #1 barrier to AI adoption. (Deloitte Ireland, 2026)
Applications close 10 August 2026
Apply Now
springboard@ncirl.ie  ·  victor.delrosal@ncirl.ie
Victor del Rosal National College of Ireland