A joint initiative between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Google will deliver 100,000 AI skills certificate scholarships across more than 80 countries. The program targets students, educators, job seekers, and civil servants, aiming to close a digital skills gap that the ITU estimates leaves 1.2 billion people without basic digital capabilities.
The scholarships are part of the new AI Skills Coalition, an initiative under the ITU's AI for Good program. The Coalition brings together governments, industry, academia, UN organizations, and civil society to expand access to AI training. The 100,000 scholarships will draw from a catalogue of over 200 courses and will be delivered through local governments and the ITU-UNICEF Giga initiative, which works to connect schools to online resources.
"Connectivity is essential, but connectivity without the capabilities to participate in an AI-powered economy risks creating a new divide," said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General, and Lisa Gevelber, Founder of Grow with Google, in a joint statement. Global research from Ipsos and Google indicates that hands-on training makes people up to four times more likely to become confident with AI.
Training designed for local priorities
Rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum, national ministries and local leaders will tailor the training to their workforce needs. The program is structured around three core elements: practical skills requiring no technology background, recognized certificates from expert instructors, and locally led implementation targeting specific groups including teachers, entrepreneurs, and public servants.
For educators looking to integrate these tools, structured pathways such as AI for Teachers Courses can provide a starting framework. The broader catalogue of Google AI Courses covers a range of skill levels and professional contexts, though the specific courses available through the scholarship program will be determined by each participating country.
Tracking outcomes across countries
The AI Skills Coalition plans to monitor several metrics: scholarship activation and utilization, learner participation and completion rates, certificates earned, and reach among priority groups including youth, educators, public servants, and job seekers. Participating countries will also work to understand how learners apply their new skills in education, employment, and public service.
"Our goal is straightforward: to answer that everyday question, 'How do I get started with AI' with clear, high-quality pathways for everyone," Bogdan-Martin and Gevelber said. The ITU estimates that an additional 311 million people need training to develop above-basic digital skills, beyond the 1.2 billion who need basic training.
Why this matters for education, government, and HR professionals
The scholarship program puts funding decisions directly in the hands of national ministries and local government leaders, meaning education directors, workforce development officials, and HR policymakers can shape AI training to match their specific labor market needs. For HR professionals in particular, the recognized certificates provide a verifiable credential that can signal job-ready AI skills to employers - a practical tool for screening candidates as AI literacy becomes a baseline expectation across roles.
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