TAFE Queensland has unveiled an AI short course to help tradies and small business owners spend less time on paperwork and more time running their businesses, as Australian small business owners continue to lose hundreds of hours each year to administrative tasks.

According to accounting software provider Xero, Australian small business owners spend more than ten hours each week on administrative tasks, equating to around 546 hours of unpaid work every year.

To help business owners reclaim some of that time, TAFE Queensland will launch its AI for Business Owners (NONAC08182) short course on 4 August, giving Gold Coast tradies practical skills to use AI to automate repetitive tasks and reduce time spent on administration.

The face-to-face course will be delivered at TAFE Queensland’s Robina campus and has been designed specifically for service-based businesses, with a focus on practical tools that can be implemented immediately.

TAFE Queensland Gold Coast general manager Robert Petherbridge says the course addresses a growing challenge for small business owners.

“For many tradespeople, the pressure of running a business doesn’t stop when the workday ends. After a full day on site, there are still invoices to send, follow-up emails to write and jobs to schedule,” he says.

“This course has been designed to help give business owners the knowledge of where AI fits, how to choose the right platforms and how to use AI in ways that genuinely improve efficiency and productivity.”

Delivered over a single four-hour session, the course covers where AI can add value in day-to-day business operations, how to evaluate different AI tools and how to implement them effectively.

Robert says AI is becoming an increasingly important capability for businesses of all sizes.

“AI is rapidly becoming an essential business capability, regardless of industry or business size,” he says

“By helping sole operators understand the technology, evaluate the right tools for their needs and implement AI with confidence, we’re supporting more productive, innovative and competitive businesses across our region.”