CompTIA Copilot 365 Essentials

Copilot 365 Essentials is a 1 day, hands-on course designed for non-technical knowledge workers who want to use Microsoft Copilot effectively in their daily work.

Build practical skills for prompting with context, improving outputs, verifying information, and using Copilot responsibly in an organisational environment. Explore how Web mode, Work mode, and referenced files, emails, and meetings can influence results, and apply Copilot across core Microsoft 365 applications.

Through scenario-driven activities, you’ll practise drafting, rewriting, summarising, analysing data, supporting collaboration, and creating repeatable workflows. You’ll also learn how to protect sensitive information and recognise when human judgement and verification are essential.

No prior AI experience is required. The course concludes with a Copilot 365 Essentials Competency Assessment, leading to a downloadable CompTIA CompCert.

Prerequisites

No prior AI experience is required.

This course is designed for non-technical, desk-based knowledge workers who have access to Microsoft Copilot in their organisation’s Microsoft 365 environment.

Target audience

This course is designed for non-technical knowledge workers who want to build practical Microsoft Copilot skills for everyday work.

It is suitable for professionals who want to:

• Build confidence using Copilot across Microsoft 365
• Improve the quality and consistency of AI-generated outputs
• Use prompting techniques to get more relevant results
• Apply responsible AI practices when working with organisational information
• Develop practical skills that can be applied immediately in the workplace

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Use Microsoft Copilot responsibly and safely in an organisational environment
• Create clear, contextual prompts and refine them iteratively to improve results
• Explain how Web mode, Work mode, and referenced files, emails, and meetings can affect Copilot outputs
• Apply Copilot across Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams for common workplace tasks
• Use prebuilt Copilot agents, including Researcher, Analyst, and People Agent, for relevant workplace activities
• Verify and refine Copilot outputs before using them at work
• Protect sensitive information and support consistent, accountable use of Copilot

Using Copilot responsibly and safely

Build the judgement needed to use Microsoft Copilot effectively in an organisational environment.

• Understand what Copilot can and cannot do
• Identify when Copilot is appropriate for a task
• Recognise hallucinations and unreliable outputs
• Understand the importance of human verification before acting on Copilot-generated information
• Protect sensitive information when working with Copilot

Prompting effectively and iteratively

Learn how to create clearer prompts and improve results through iteration.

• Define goals, context, and expectations in prompts
• Structure prompts to support more relevant outputs
• Use follow-up prompts to improve results
• Revise and refine Copilot-generated content
• Break complex requests into smaller, manageable tasks

Using context and modes effectively

Understand how context affects the quality and relevance of Copilot outputs.

• Explore the differences between Web mode and Work mode
• Understand how referenced files, emails, and meetings can influence results
• Identify when to search for information
• Understand when to continue a conversation or start a new chat
• Use context to improve the effectiveness of Copilot

Working across Microsoft 365 applications

Apply Copilot to common workplace scenarios across core Microsoft 365 applications.

• Use Copilot in Word to draft and rewrite content
• Use Copilot in Outlook to support everyday communication
• Use Copilot in Excel to analyse data
• Use Copilot in PowerPoint to support presentation development
• Use Copilot in Teams to support collaboration
• Apply Copilot to practical workplace tasks and workflows

Using Copilot agents and reusable workflows

Explore prebuilt Copilot agents and ways to make effective use of repeatable prompts and workflows.

• Use Researcher for guided research
• Use Analyst for structured data analysis
• Use People Agent to find recent work from colleagues
• Save useful prompts for future tasks
• Build repeatable workflows that support consistent use of Copilot

Verifying, refining, and applying outputs

Develop the skills needed to review Copilot outputs before applying them at work.

• Verify information generated by Copilot
• Identify and address inaccurate or unsuitable responses
• Refine outputs to meet workplace requirements
• Protect sensitive information throughout the process
• Apply Copilot skills consistently and responsibly in daily work

Exams and assessments

Learners can validate their skills by completing the Copilot 365 Essentials Competency Assessment.

Successful completion leads to a downloadable CompTIA CompCert (Competency Certificate) that learners can use to showcase their skills.

Hands-on learning

This course uses hands-on, scenario-driven learning to help learners apply Microsoft Copilot skills in realistic workplace situations.

Learning activities include:

• Interactive activities using video and text
• Practical scenarios across Microsoft 365 applications
• Exercises focused on prompting, verification, refinement, and responsible use
• Opportunities to practise repeatable workflows and apply Copilot to everyday tasks