Workshops
Developed in partnership with local industry leaders, this workshop series was designed for small businesses. Each session offers a practical, hands-on introduction to AI tools and strategies that are relevant, accessible, and immediately useful, no technical background required. Whether you're exploring AI for the first time or looking to level up your skills, our workshops give you the knowledge and confidence to move forward.
NOTE: Bring your charged laptop or other device for the training; a limited number of loaner laptops will also be available from AHC.
Session 1 | 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.
AI 101: What It Is, What It Isn't, and Why It Matters for Your Business
Presenter(s): Trudi Radtke, Moorpark College
2nd Floor Film Screening Room (via Zoom)
A no-jargon introduction to how AI tools actually work, what they're good at, and where they fall short. Helps participants form realistic expectations before diving into hands-on use.
- What generative AI is (and common misconceptions)
- Overview of the current landscape: ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini
- What AI can and can't do reliably
- Real-world examples from small/mid-size businesses
- Privacy, data security basics, and what NOT to put into AI tools
Best for: complete beginners or skeptics
Prompt Engineering Fundamentals: Getting AI to Actually Do What You Want
Presenter(s): Karen Edwards, Softec & Kristin Milligan, Allan Hancock College
2nd Floor F225
Hands-on practice writing better prompts to get dramatically better outputs. Participants leave with a personal "prompt toolkit" they can use immediately.
- Why vague prompts produce vague results
- The anatomy of a strong prompt: role, context, task, format, constraints
- Iterating and refining: treating AI like a conversation
- Hands-on exercises with real workplace scenarios
- Building a personal library of reusable prompt templates
Best for: beginners to intermediate users who've tried AI but feel like results are hit or miss
Resource: Prompt Engineering Formula Handout
Presentation: Prompt Engineering
AI and Spreadsheets/Data: Making Sense of Numbers Without Being a Data Analyst
Presenter: Onur Uzunismail, Uzunu.com
2nd Floor F250
Most people ask AI to give them the answer. That’s fine for a lot of things, but it’s the wrong move when there are numbers involved. AI is a good guesser and a bad calculator. Drop a messy dataset into a chatbot, ask it a business question, and it will hand you back a number with total confidence that happens to be wrong.
This workshop teaches a different move. You use AI to figure out the real question, sketch the spreadsheet, and write the formulas. Excel does the math. Then you ask AI to tell you what the verified numbers mean. No data background needed. No prior experience with AI is needed either.
Don’t ask AI for the answer. Ask it to build you a tool that gives you the answer.
- Discover how AI can make a mess of things.
- Learn how to drive AI as a supportive tool
- Leave with a much clearer sense of where AI helps with numbers and where it gets you in trouble.
Resource: Please be ready with your preferred AI tool, ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Download resources from Uzunu prior to the workshop
Best for: anyone who works with Excel, Google Sheets, or business data
Market Smarter: Leveraging AI for High-Impact Visuals & Strategy
Presenter(s): Vanessa Rae Grossman, Vanessa Rae Media & Carol Chenot, AI Advantage
2nd Floor F217
Many small business owners struggle with consistent social media and newsletters. This workshop uses AI to bridge the "blank page" gap.
- Beyond the Bot: Discover why there is more to the AI world than just ChatGPT.
- The Instant Upgrade: Master the art of the "Smart Selfie". Taking and transforming a mobile photo into a studio-quality headshot.
- Visual Continuity: Learn how to bridge the gap between a single product or service and a cohesive marketing campaign using AI image generation.
- The Modern Marketer’s Toolkit: Walk away with a curated library of the best AI tools designed to get you marketing quickly!
Please come prepared to dive right in.
Session 2 | 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
AI for Writing and Communication: Emails, Reports, and More
Presenter: Christopher McGuinness, Allan Hancock College
2nd Floor F217
Practical session on using AI to draft, edit, summarize, and improve business writing without losing your voice or sounding robotic.
- Drafting emails, memos, and proposals faster
- Editing and proofreading: asking AI to punch up or simplify your writing
- Summarizing long documents or meeting notes
- Adjusting tone for different audiences
- Avoiding over-reliance: when to edit AI output vs. start from scratch
Prompt Engineering Fundamentals: Getting AI to Actually Do What You Want
Presenter(s): Karen Edwards, Softec & Kristin Milligan, Allan Hancock College
2nd Floor F225
Hands-on practice writing better prompts to get dramatically better outputs. Participants leave with a personal "prompt toolkit" they can use immediately.
- Why vague prompts produce vague results
- The anatomy of a strong prompt: role, context, task, format, constraints
- Iterating and refining: treating AI like a conversation
- Hands-on exercises with real workplace scenarios
- Building a personal library of reusable prompt templates
Best for: beginners to intermediate users who've tried AI but feel like results are hit or miss
Resource: Prompt Engineering Formula Handout
Presentation: Prompt Engineering
AI and Spreadsheets/Data: Making Sense of Numbers Without Being a Data Analyst
Presenter: Onur Uzunismail, Uzunu.com
2nd Floor F250
Most people ask AI to give them the answer. That’s fine for a lot of things, but it’s the wrong move when there are numbers involved. AI is a good guesser and a bad calculator. Drop a messy dataset into a chatbot, ask it a business question, and it will hand you back a number with total confidence that happens to be wrong.
This workshop teaches a different move. You use AI to figure out the real question, sketch the spreadsheet, and write the formulas. Excel does the math. Then you ask AI to tell you what the verified numbers mean. No data background needed. No prior experience with AI needed either.
Don’t ask AI for the answer. Ask it to build you a tool that gives you the answer.
- Discover how AI can make a mess of things.
- Learn how to drive AI as a supportive tool
- Leave with a much clearer sense of where AI helps with numbers and where it gets you in trouble.
Resource: Please be ready with your preferred AI tool, ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Download resources from Uzunu prior to the workshop
Best for: anyone who works with Excel, Google Sheets, or business data
Before You Hand It to AI: Identifying the Work Actually Worth Automating
Presenter: Julio Castillo
2nd Floor Film Screening Room
Walk out with a short list of your highest-value AI automation opportunities — and the confidence to know which tasks to hand off and which ones to keep. A practical, no-code session for small business owners ready to save real time without building the wrong thing first.
- Why Most Automations Get Abandoned (The Automation Graveyard)
- Find the Work That's Eating Your Week (The Friction Audit)
- Four Questions Before You Build Anything (The Automation Decision Framework)
- Watch Claude CoWork Handle It in Real Time (Live Demonstration)
- Leave With One Workflow Ready to Run (The One Commitment)
Best for: intermediate users ready to save real time
Resource: You will need a Claude Desktop app (Mac or PC) subscription (Pro at $20/mo or higher) on your computer. Your phone will not be sufficient.
Presentation: Before you hand it to AI
Using AI to Navigate the Rules that Shape Workforce Programs
Presenter: Dr Norma Jones (Via Zoom)
1st Floor Band Room (F100)
Community colleges operate within complex frameworks that include Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), Board Policies (BPs), and Administrative Procedures (APs). While these documents guide institutional operations and protect shared governance, they are often lengthy and difficult to navigate when leaders and faculty need quick answers. This session explores how artificial intelligence can transform these documents into accessible institutional knowledge. Through a live demonstration, participants will see how an AI-powered assistant can help users quickly locate and interpret relevant policy or contract language using natural language questions. Rather than replacing expertise, these tools support more informed conversations among faculty, administrators, and industry partners by making institutional rules easier to understand and apply. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for using AI to navigate institutional policies more efficiently while supporting workforce innovation and collaboration
Best for: Community College Administrators