Google to provide AI training to Oklahoma workers
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The State of Oklahoma a new workforce development initiative on Thursday that will help Oklahoma workers learn new skills of artificial intelligence.
The partnership between Google and the State of Oklahoma will aid over 10,000 Oklahomans with access to the new AI Essentials course by Google at no additional cost. The online course does not require a degree or experience for those that take it.
The online course will provide teachings to workers with foundational AI skills, AI best practices and how to use AI responsibly.
“Our state is positioned to be a leader in implementing AI technology, and this partnership with Google furthers that momentum by educating thousands of Oklahomans in foundational skills for tomorrow’s economy,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said. “For years, Google has partnered with organizations throughout Oklahoma to help residents expand their career opportunities through digital skills training. As more companies move to Oklahoma, we’ll be ready to meet them with a skilled workforce.”
The Oklahoma State Chamber Research Foundation has done research that suggest early adoption into AI will enable Oklahoma energy, agriculture, aviation and manufacturing industries by helping to advance operations and to boost economic output.
Currently, only half of workers have access to proper AI training opportunities. The new AI Essentials course by Google will provide proper teaching to people in order to use generative AI effectively in everyday work. The course takes about eight hours and will provide practical, hands-on experience by using AI with work tasks through videos, readings and interactive exercises and can be used in a vast amount of roles in different industries.
Once the course is complete, people will receive a certificate from Google that can be shared through their professional network.
“Generations of Oklahomans have the opportunity to benefit from this program as technology continues to evolve within the workplace,” said John Suter, Oklahoma chief operating officer and OMES executive director. “We want to give Oklahoma professionals a competitive edge and harness the responsible application of AI tools as we work to recruit more companies to our great state.”
The partnership between Google and Oklahoma through the Google Career Certificates program has provided 85% of Google Career Certificate graduates, since 2022, reporting that they have secured beneficial employment through the initiative.
As Google provides learning and training through the workforce, the company recently announced that educators will be provided with a course, Generative AI for Educators, that will help both middle and high school teachers on how to use generative AI tools to help personalize instruction that benefits with student needs, develop creative lessons and activities, and save time with administrative tasks.
School districts around the country will begin offering the Generative AI for Educators course, which includes Oklahoma's Ada Public Schools, Enid Public Schools and Shawnee Public Schools.
Google's skilling programs have trained through more than 100 local partner organizations and over 147,000 Oklahoman's in digital skills since 2017.
“Google has proudly called Oklahoma home for more than a decade with a data center in Mayes County,” said Mark Isakowitz, Google VP of Government Affairs and Public Policy, U.S. and Canada. “We commend Governor Stitt and Oklahoma’s leadership for their commitment to helping students and workers access AI training for today and tomorrow’s jobs. To advance these efforts and our collaboration, we are thrilled to offer the new Google AI Essentials course to residents at no cost.”
Oklahoma resident's who want to enroll into the course can visit oklahoma.gov/learnAI