Free AI Training for North American Workers by Google

Google and Goodwill have partnered to bring AI training to North American workers. A part of Google.org’s AI Opportunity Fund, the two brands will offer Google’s AI Essentials course for free in the U.S. and Canada. 

What is Google’s AI Essentials course?

The self-paced course is focused on foundational AI skills. Estimated to take about six hours to complete, Google’s AI Essentials is broken down into five sections: a basic introduction to AI, increasing productivity with AI, the best ways to prompt AI, reminders on AI responsibility and ways to stay ahead of the AI curve.

Through these five sections, users can expect to learn how to use AI to brainstorm ideas, speed up daily work tasks and simplify research. Rather than simply viewing informational videos or articles, Google and Goodwill prioritize hands-on practice in the course, which can be completed through any generative AI platform, including ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot.

Google’s AI Essentials isn’t Goodwill’s first time to offer skill-development courses. Since 2017, Goodwill has offered Google’s digital skills programs, helping place 400,000 Americans in well-paying jobs. 

The new addition of the course is already returning promising results, with 86% of global graduates saying the AI skills they learned through the course will improve their productivity or efficiency at work. 

How to sign up 

To sign up for the course, participants must fill out the 2025 Google AI Essentials training request form. Once the form is filled out, participants will receive an email from Coursera to enroll in the course.

After the form is submitted, participants have 30 days to complete the Google AI Essentials training. If the course isn’t completed by that time, the training form may be resubmitted.

Graduates from the Google AI Essentials course will receive a certificate from Google that can be shared on LinkedIn or with employers. For more information or questions on the program, contact [email protected].

Why learn about AI?

The collaboration between Google and Goodwill to push North American workers toward AI learning comes at a time when AI skills are increasingly in demand. An Amazon study found that 73% of employers consider AI skills and experience a priority when hiring, but 75% of employers said they had issues finding candidates with the skill set they wanted. 

The interest in AI isn’t just from employers—88% of workers expect to use AI in their daily work by 2028. With both employers and employees looking to AI as the tool of the future, it’s important to start learning the ins and outs of AI. Gaining a basic knowledge of AI tools will only serve workers well, and it’s easier than ever to achieve with free online programs.

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