Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) Workforce Development will offer “Put AI to Work for You: Save Time, Work Smarter, Starting Monday,” a hands-on workshop designed to help professionals and business owners turn artificial intelligence from a curiosity into a practical workplace tool. The one-day workshop will be held Thursday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the DSCC Henry County Center at E.W. Grove, located at 900 Grove St., in Paris.
Rather than spending the day simply talking about AI, participants will work on lab computers and apply the technology to their own workplace needs with guidance from an experienced instructor. Activities will demonstrate how AI can assist with tasks such as writing emails and marketing copy, organizing meeting notes, drafting customer responses and working with spreadsheets. Participants also will learn a straightforward framework for writing effective prompts that produce useful results. During the workshop, they will begin building a personal library of reusable prompts tailored to their individual jobs and responsibilities. By the end of the day, participants will leave with a personal prompt library based on their own job tasks; a reusable AI toolkit developed during the workshop; a participant workbook featuring the CRAFT prompt framework, starter prompts organized by role and a responsible-use checklist; and a 30-day action plan for immediately incorporating AI into their work.
The workshop will be taught by Mark Jenkins, a certified WSI AI trainer and Paris native who leads the local WSI Digital Marketing agency. Founded in 1995 and operating in more than 80 countries, WSI is one of the world's largest digital marketing networks and helps businesses put artificial intelligence to practical use. Jenkins has more than 25 years of marketing experience, including leadership roles as a director, vice president and head of marketing, and teaches undergraduate and MBA marketing courses online. He holds a doctorate in marketing, an MBA in finance, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin. Through his agency, Jenkins helps small and midsize businesses win more customers online and use AI to compete more effectively.