Digital inclusion organisation Wavemaker has secured major new funding to help people develop AI skills and gain professional qualifications through a national programme backed by Google.
The Stone-based organisation has been selected by tech-for-good charity Good Things Foundation to deliver the Google AI Professional Certificate programme in partnership with Google.
The programme is designed to support people working in sectors considered to be at higher risk from the impact of artificial intelligence by helping them build essential AI skills and foundational knowledge.
It will run until January 2028 with Wavemaker aiming to enrol 500 people onto the programme free of charge.
Participants will complete the course through Coursera, supported by Wavemaker throughout the process.
The organisation will help learners understand how to use the platform and support them through a three-month learning period leading to an official Google Professional Certificate.
The programme is particularly aimed at people working in sectors including secretarial and administration, sales, customer service and data entry.
Ben McManus, Wavemaker’s co-founder and director of operations, partnerships and engagement, said: “We have a target of enrolling 500 people onto the programme. As part of the support, we’ll be helping people understand how to use the platform, demonstrating how it works, and supporting them throughout their learning journey.
“The sectors we’re particularly looking to engage with are all areas that have been highlighted as potentially being impacted significantly by advances in AI technology. But rather than seeing that as something purely negative, this programme is a fantastic opportunity for people to build confidence, gain understanding and develop practical AI skills for the future.”
The funding is part of a wider £1.1 million grant from Google.org to launch a national programme expected to equip more than 11,000 people with foundational AI skills.
Ben added: “We’re incredibly honoured not only to have been shortlisted, but to have actually secured the funding. Only a small number of trusted, national organisations within the Good Things Foundation network were chosen, and Wavemaker is proud to be one of them.”
Alongside the new AI programme, Wavemaker also offers 43 online courses through its DigitAll learning platform, including 23 CPD-accredited courses.
People wanting more information about the programme can visit Wavemaker’s website or contact info@wavemaker.org.uk.
