Canada launches free AI courses for students, educators, workers and jobseekers: Check date, who is eligible, what they will learn and how to access them

At a time when artificial intelligence is sweeping across Canada and around the world, the Canadian government is taking steps that Canadians ensure what AI is, how it works and its impact. According to a report in CBC, the government in Canada is launching the National AI Literacy Initiative with an aim to provide post-secondary students, kindergarten to Grade 12 educators and the rest of Canadians access to a free online course to teach them the basics. Under this initiative, students, educators, workers, and communities will take part in the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

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"The best way to ensure success at a time of change and innovation is through education," Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon said at an event in Edmonton on Wednesday launching the initiative, the CBC report stated.


"We will, as the first step in our AI strategy, invest in students, invest in teachers and invest in all Canadians' education and literacy." According to Evan Solomon, the course is to develop the technology to help "people first" and ensure AI is a "technology to serve people."

Who are eligible for Canadian AI programme?

The programme will provide three learning streams for post-secondary students, K-12 educators, and the wider public, covering how AI works, how to use it responsibly, and how to assess risks including bias, misinformation, and privacy loss. From September 21, participating post-secondary institutions will be able to provide students with a free three-hour AI literacy course.

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At the same time, the first chapter of a dedicated AI programme for educators will be made publicly available, with five more chapters set to roll out throughout the autumn.

Not just students and educators, workers and jobseekers in Canada can also access short AI training through the federal Job Bank’s Training Finder. On the other hand, separate course for the wider public will be rolled out through community organisations later this year. The government said the programmes are intended to help people adapt as AI changes jobs, workplace tools, and everyday services.

The federal government is providing $13 million in funding to launch three free courses in partnership with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII) and expand them to every Canadian that wants access, Solomon said.

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How long will the courses continue?

The CBC report mentioned that the participants work through course modules at their own pace. Evan Solomon said the course for post-secondary students is designed to take about three hours to complete.

The courses are not led by an instructor, Solomon's office told CBC News. The course designed for all Canadians will launch sometime after that but before the end of the calendar year.

"Together, these learning opportunities will give Canadians the confidence to use AI where it serves them, the judgment to question it where it does not and the knowledge to make informed choices about its place in their lives," a government statement said.

The statement said the AI course for teachers will "provide K-12 educators with practical training and classroom-ready resources, with five additional chapters to be released throughout the fall."

The program for post-secondary students has been designed, the government said, to help them "understand AI and use it confidently and responsibly while building foundational AI knowledge and workplace readiness skills."

"Canada helped create modern AI. Now we are making sure Canadians have the knowledge and confidence to shape what comes next," Solomon said in a statement. The third course, Essentials for Canadians, will be offered through Employment and Social Development Canada’s national Training Finder on Job Bank, along with community partners that will be announced at a later date.