Learners Live

Did you Know?
Menu

Google Announces $10M to the Manufacturing Institute to Develop AI Skills for the Manufacturing Workforce

William Attardi on April 15, 2026

Google. org’s funding will enable the Manufacturing Institute to develop two new courses for shop floor workers: AI 101 for Manufacturing and Advanced AI for Manufacturing Technicians. The $10 million funding will support the MI in developing AI skills training programs for manufacturing workers and expand employer-led apprenticeship programs via the MI’s Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME USA). The initiative is part of Google.org’s AI Opportunity Fund that helps Americans learn AI skills at no cost in collaboration with workforce development and education organizations across the country. The U.S. is facing a significant manufacturing skills gap. By 2033, it’s projected that nearly 1.9 million manufacturing roles could go unfilled if the workforce is not equipped with the necessary technical skills. This builds on Google’s previous commitment to support infrastructure and skilled trades. Google recently announced a similar effort with the electrical training ALLIANCE to train electrical workers throughout the country.  Google announces $10M to the Manufacturing Institute to develop AI skills for the manufacturing workforce – Modern Materials Handling

US Department of Labor Launches ‘Make America AI-Ready’

William Attardi on March 30, 2026

The U.S. Department of Labor announced the launch of “Make America AI-Ready,” a free artificial intelligence literacy course that will help American workers learn the basics of AI simply by texting “READY” to 20202. The course is uniquely designed to deliver bite-sized learning content and daily challenges to users entirely over text message. Users can complete the course in seven days by engaging for just 10 minutes a day. The text message-based design is intended to be as accessible as possible to all Americans, including those without a laptop or with limited access to the internet. The content areas are:

  • Understand AI Principles: Understanding AI’s core concepts, capabilities, and limitations, creating the foundation for effective use.
  • Explore AI Uses: Directly exploring different AI tools and relevant use cases, and how AI can complement human expertise.
  • Direct AI Effectively: Understanding how to provide the right context to AI and how to create clear prompts that produce effective outputs.
  • Evaluate AI Outposts: Assessing AI-generated results for accuracy and relevance.
  • Use AI Responsibly: Using AI in ethical and secure ways, protecting critical information, and ensuring accountability for outcomes.

Learn more about the Make America AI-Ready initiative at dol.gov/ai-ready.

US Department of Labor Launches ‘Make America AI-Ready’ – electrifiED

Interesting: The Three Pillars of Independence of an Organization

The 3 Pillars of Independence most commonly refers to a framework from the UK voluntary sector (specifically promoted by organizations like Bond and the Directory of Social Change). It is a toolkit for assessing and maintaining the independence of charities, NGOs, or civil society organizations.

The Three Pillars are:

  1. Independent of Party Politics – The organization (or regulator) must remain free from bias or influence by any political party or the government of the day. Decisions should be impartial, not favoring one political side.
  2. Independent of Populism – It should not be swayed by popular public opinion, media-driven campaigns, or transient public pressure, especially on controversial or unpopular causes.
  3. Independent of the Press – Freedom from media influence or pressure, ensuring decisions are based on evidence and law rather than headlines or public narratives.

This toolkit was created to monitor potential political encroachment on charitable regulation and to ensure charities can operate without undue external interference.

 

Check out the learning sessions we posted…

August Blog: Learning to Get Better by Bill Attardi

WE ARE NOW LIVE ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@BillAttardi