Which Copilot training fits your organisation? A decision guide in five questions

"We want to do something with Copilot training" — that's how many conversations begin. Understandably so, because the range of options is wide: from a one-hour inspiration session to a twelve-month annual programme. The right format doesn't depend on what sounds most appealing, but on where your organisation currently stands. Here are five questions we ask in every introductory meeting — and what your answers reveal about the format that fits.

Question 1: how many people already have a Copilot licence?

No licences, or only a few? Start with an inspiration session or keynote: in 60 to 90 minutes a department or management team sees what Copilot can do and where their own opportunities lie. That's enough to make a well-founded decision about licences — and it stops you from training people on a tool they don't yet have. If part of the organisation already holds licences, then a hands-on course aimed specifically at that group is the logical starting point: they can put what they've learned into practice the very next morning.

Question 2: how different is the work the participants do?

A salesperson, a controller and an HR adviser use Copilot in completely different ways. The more mixed the group, the more generic the examples — and the less people retain. As a rule of thumb: from around eight participants per job role onwards, it pays to train by role. For organisations with clearly distinct departments, a series of training sessions tailored to each role is more effective than one large, mixed session: sales practises with quotes and meeting notes, finance with analyses in Excel.

Question 3: is this for a single team or the entire organisation?

A single team or department is easily trained with a standalone course lasting half a day. But if you want to bring hundreds or thousands of employees on board — possibly spread across sites or countries — then you need a company-wide programme: waves of training per department or country, in Dutch or English, with a consistent structure and central coordination. The difference doesn't lie in the content of the training, but in the logistics, communication and sequencing around it. Without that layer, a large rollout becomes a collection of disconnected workshops with no lasting effect.

Question 4: who keeps the fire burning after the training?

The most familiar pattern in Copilot adoption: enthusiasm in week one, a slump in week two. So the question isn't only who delivers the training, but who becomes the point of contact afterwards. Two options work well. Train-the-trainer: we train internal trainers and champions who then help colleagues progress — the knowledge stays in house. Or an annual programme: twelve months of support with quarterly themes and refresher sessions, so that every new Copilot feature lands straight away. Microsoft releases updates almost every month; without a steady rhythm, knowledge quickly goes out of date.

Question 5: is there support at the top?

Adoption starts at the top. If managers don't use Copilot themselves, the team gets the message that it's optional. If you're unsure about buy-in, start with a leadership session first: what is changing, what is the business case, and what exemplary behaviour makes the rollout credible? For larger organisations, an AI Council — a steering group made up of IT, HR, legal and business — is the structural option: it sets policy, priorities and responsible use.

The rules of thumb at a glance

• No licences yet → inspiration session, then decide.
• A single team with licences → hands-on half-day course.
• Multiple job roles → a series of training sessions per role.
• Hundreds of employees, multiple locations → company-wide programme.
• Embedding and staying current → annual programme or train-the-trainer.
• Doubts about buy-in → start with a leadership session or AI Council.

More important than the perfect choice: simply getting started, small and measurable. Every format can be scaled up — a course can grow into a programme, a pilot into an organisation-wide rollout. The format follows the pace of your organisation, not the other way round.

Explore the options — or tell us about your situation

All six training formats — with their duration, target audience and outcome — are set out on our training page. Prefer direct advice? Book a no-obligation introductory meeting of 30 minutes: we'll ask the five questions above and recommend the format that delivers results fastest.