Salesforce recently announced a new initiative to provide free AI training to anyone through its Trailhead online learning platform.
Salesforce will offer its premium AI courses and certifications free of charge through 2025, investing over $50 million to help address the growing AI skills gap. The company also plans to open new AI training spaces at its offices worldwide, including a pop-up AI Center at its San Francisco headquarters.
This initiative comes in response to increasing demand for AI tools in the workplace. According to research from Slack, executive urgency to incorporate AI into business operations has increased sevenfold over the past six months. Despite this, over two-thirds of workers have yet to use AI at work, and only 15% feel they have the education and training necessary to leverage AI effectively.
Expanding Access to AI Training
Salesforce has helped hundreds of thousands of professionals develop technical skills through premium instructor-led training and certifications. With this new initiative, the company aims to reach an additional 100,000 learners and help them develop critical AI skills through Trailhead. Trailhead’s free online courses now offer AI-specific training, including AI fundamentals, ethical AI use, and prompting. Since June 2023, more than 2.6 million AI and data badges have been earned by employees, jobseekers, and learners, helping unlock essential skills for the future.
AI Training Centers Around the Globe
Salesforce is rolling out AI training spaces in its offices globally. After opening its first AI Center in London in June, the company will launch a pop-up AI Center in San Francisco in 2025, with plans to establish more training centers in key hubs like Chicago, Tokyo, and Sydney. These centers will host in-person AI training sessions, bringing together industry experts, partners, and customers to foster AI innovation and provide urgent upskilling opportunities.
Upskilling Salesforce’s Global Workforce
Salesforce is also focused on upskilling its 72,000 employees through quarterly AI learning days and immersive experiences in the newly dedicated AI Knowledge Center at its San Francisco headquarters. Employees are gaining hands-on experience with the latest AI innovations, including Agentforce, Salesforce’s suite of autonomous AI agents that augment tasks in service, sales, marketing, and commerce.
Since the launch of Slack AI in February, which helps summarize information and find answers through a conversational interface, Salesforce employees have saved nearly 3 million work hours. Nearly 40% of the 2.6 million AI and data badges earned on Trailhead belong to Salesforce employees, demonstrating the company’s commitment to preparing its workforce for the AI revolution.
For more information, visit Trailhead to explore Salesforce’s AI training offerings.
Image: Salesforce