Training course · n8n · Public Sector

n8n for the Public Sector

Workflow automation with n8n and AI: master nodes, the AI Agent node, integrations and GDPR-friendly self-hosting in practice.

Duration
2 days (14 hrs)
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

This course connects n8n with the everyday processes of Public Sector. Participants work on realistic scenarios and leave with prompts, workflows and checklists they can use straight away.

n8n is a flexible workflow automation platform that combines visual flows with language models and hundreds of integrations. Unlike many cloud services, n8n can also be self-hosted, so your data can stay in your own data centre or with a European hosting provider. Over two days you will learn how triggers, nodes and data flows fit together, how to transform data between applications and how to automate recurring tasks from your day-to-day work reliably.

The core of the course is the combination of automation and AI. Using the AI Agent node, chat models, memory and tools, you build workflows that classify emails, summarise documents, enrich records or answer enquiries. You learn to catch errors, test workflows and document them properly. Finally, you look at hosting options, credential management and data protection, so that your automations run stably, securely and in line with GDPR once they go into everyday operation.

Public authorities and local councils face a double squeeze: the digitalisation of public services is accelerating while skilled staff are scarce and caseloads keep rising. Generative AI can noticeably relieve caseworkers – drafting decisions and replies to citizens, summarising submissions in public consultations, turning official language into plain language and preparing committee and council papers. AI assistants also help staff navigate legislation and administrative guidelines more quickly. At the same time, the public sector faces particularly high standards for lawfulness, transparency, data protection and IT security. Introducing AI means building approval rules, record-keeping duties and final human decision-making into the process from day one.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • Caseworkers in federal, regional and local government
  • Managers of departments and public agencies
  • Digital transformation and e-government leads
  • Staff in citizen service centres and contact centres
  • Committee and council secretariat staff

Typical challenges we address

  • Rising caseloads combined with staff shortages
  • Complex legislation and administrative rules that change frequently
  • Citizen communication that must be legally sound yet easy to understand
  • Media breaks between specialist systems, electronic files and paper records

What you will be able to do

  • You can build n8n workflows independently using triggers, logic nodes and data transformations.
  • You can connect n8n to the applications you use every day and fall back on the HTTP Request node where needed.
  • You can use the AI Agent node and other AI building blocks for classification, extraction and summarisation.
  • You can safeguard workflows with error handling, validation and human approval steps.
  • Use AI lawfully for drafting, citizen communication and summaries.
  • Understand the limits of AI in discretionary decisions and design review and approval steps.
  • Identify processes in your department that are suitable for AI support and automation.

Course outline

Day 1

Module 1 Fundamentals: workflows, triggers and nodes
  • Getting to know the n8n interface, canvas and execution view
  • Trigger types: schedules, webhooks, incoming email and app events
  • Understanding items and JSON data and working with expressions
  • Using core nodes such as Edit Fields, IF, Switch, Merge and Loop Over Items
Module 2 Integrations and data processing
  • Connecting common applications: email, spreadsheets, CRM, collaboration and cloud storage
  • Using the HTTP Request node for APIs without a ready-made integration
  • Creating, managing and sharing credentials securely within the team
  • Filtering, merging and reshaping data and writing it to target systems
Module 3 AI in n8n: the AI Agent node and LLM building blocks
  • Connecting chat models from different providers as well as locally hosted models
  • Configuring the AI Agent node with a system prompt, memory and tools
  • Automating classification, structured data extraction and summarisation
  • Using your own documents via vector stores for retrieval-augmented generation
Module 4 Error handling, testing and maintainability
  • Setting up error workflows, retries and failure notifications
  • Validating AI output and defining fallbacks for unusable responses
  • Working with pinned test data and tracing past executions
  • Modularising, naming and documenting workflows for colleagues

Day 2

Module 5 Self-hosting, data protection and operations
  • Cloud versus self-hosted: effort, control and licensing model compared
  • Assessing data flows to AI providers against GDPR requirements
  • Managing access rights, logging and retention of execution data
  • Adding human-in-the-loop approval steps to automated processes
Module 6 Practice lab: Public Sector
  • Drafting decisions and letters
  • Answering citizen enquiries
  • Plain language and translation
  • Analysing public consultations
  • Committee papers and minutes
  • Preparing procurement documents
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • Administrative and citizen data is subject to the GDPR, national data protection law and, where applicable, social security or tax secrecy; AI may only be used in approved, secure environments and not for automated individual decisions without a legal basis. The EU AI Act, e-government legislation, procurement law and staff council participation must also be observed.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Drafting decisions and letters

Using standard clauses, the facts of the case and the relevant legal provision, AI drafts hearing letters, statements of reasons or requests for documents, which caseworkers review, adapt and sign off under their own responsibility.

Answering citizen enquiries

An AI assistant drafts replies to frequent enquiries by email or web form, points to the responsible office and online services and keeps a friendly, accessible tone.

Plain language and translation

Leaflets, form guidance and web content are rewritten in plain or easy-read language and translated into common languages, improving accessibility of public services. Technical terms are explained as well.

Analysing public consultations

Large numbers of submissions from citizens and statutory consultees are grouped by topic, summarised and transferred into a response table that serves as the basis for professional assessment.

Committee papers and minutes

AI helps structure decision papers, condenses expert reports into status updates and turns notes into structured minutes for committees and council meetings. Proposed resolutions are kept clearly separate from the facts.

Preparing procurement documents

Specifications, selection criteria and award matrices are pre-structured from requirement descriptions and checked for completeness; legal responsibility under procurement law remains with the contracting authority.

Prerequisites

You should be confident with common office applications and have basic experience with AI assistants. No programming is required, although a basic grasp of structured data is helpful. Experience with administrative procedures and casework; no technical background required.

Technical requirements

You will need a laptop with an up-to-date browser. We provide an n8n environment for the exercises, or you can use your own instance; API keys for a language model are set up together during the course.

Data protection & compliance

Administrative and citizen data is subject to the GDPR, national data protection law and, where applicable, social security or tax secrecy; AI may only be used in approved, secure environments and not for automated individual decisions without a legal basis. The EU AI Act, e-government legislation, procurement law and staff council participation must also be observed.

Suggested dates

All dates are suggestions – your preferred date is always possible.

  • Thu, 26 November 2026 – Fri, 27 November 2026 Online Request
  • Mon, 7 December 2026 – Tue, 8 December 2026 Stuttgart Request
  • Tue, 19 January 2027 – Wed, 20 January 2027 Online Request
  • Wed, 3 February 2027 – Thu, 4 February 2027 Berlin Request
  • Tue, 9 February 2027 – Wed, 10 February 2027 Online Request
  • Thu, 25 February 2027 – Fri, 26 February 2027 Munich Request

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to code to work with n8n?

No. Most workflows are built visually by connecting nodes. During the course you also learn simple expressions to reference and reshape data precisely. A Code node is available for special cases but is not essential. A logical understanding of processes and data fields is entirely sufficient to get started.

Why is n8n attractive from a European data protection perspective?

n8n can be self-hosted, for instance on your own servers or with a European hosting provider. This keeps you in control of where workflow and execution data is stored. What still matters is which data you send to external AI services. On the course you learn to assess these data flows and, where appropriate, connect locally hosted models.

How does n8n differ from Make or Power Automate?

All three automate processes across applications. n8n stands out for its self-hosting option, its fair-code licensing and particularly flexible AI building blocks such as the AI Agent node. Make offers a very approachable cloud interface, while Power Automate excels at deep Microsoft integration. The course puts these differences into context for typical scenarios.

May a public authority produce decisions with AI?

AI may prepare drafts, but the decision and signature remain with the responsible officer. Fully automated administrative acts are only permitted with an explicit legal basis and no discretion involved. The course shows how to review AI drafts in a documented way to ensure lawfulness and traceability.

Which AI tools are suitable for public administration?

Suitable tools are those your organisation has cleared for data protection and security, such as AI assistants provided centrally by government IT or enterprise editions with EU data processing. The course is tool-neutral and teaches working methods that transfer to whichever tools are approved in your authority.

How much does “n8n for the Public Sector” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 2 training day(s) with a live trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. Our suggested dates are just a guide. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and confirm within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

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