AI Training Academy: applied AI literacy for working professionals
The AI Training Academy is the Global Institute for Sustainable Development (GISD) program that teaches working professionals in Northern Virginia to use generative AI tools in their own jobs. Tracks run from first exposure through to directing AI inside real office, project and communication workflows, and the training is hands-on rather than theoretical.
What applied AI literacy means
Applied AI literacy, as GISD uses the term, is the ability to use AI tools competently on the work somebody is actually paid to do, and to judge when the output is wrong. It is narrower than a data science course and far wider than a list of prompts. It covers what these tools are, where they fail, how to check them, and how to put them inside an existing workflow without creating new risk.
AI is already in the workplace. Training is not. Most workers who have learned to use these tools taught themselves, without structure, benchmarks or feedback, and the result is widespread use and low confidence. The Conference Board reports that one in three workers has had employer-provided AI training in the past six months while 55 percent use AI regularly (The Conference Board, Skilling for AI, July 2026, global worker survey, n=1,300).
Last reviewed September 2026
The tracks
AI Foundations for the Workforce
What AI is and is not, safe and productive use of mainstream tools, and prompting that holds up when the task is real.
Applied AI for Professionals
AI inside office, project and communication workflows, using Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and the tools an employer already owns.
AI for Small Business and Entrepreneurs
Marketing content, customer communication, bookkeeping support and workflow automation for an owner with no technical staff.
Who it is for
- Working professionals adding AI to their current role
- Job seekers and career changers
- Small business owners and sole traders
- Nonprofit staff, who can also use AI for Mission
- Students and early-career professionals
Questions about the AI Training Academy
What is the GISD AI Training Academy?
The AI Training Academy is the GISD program that teaches working professionals to use generative AI tools in their own jobs. It runs in tracks, from first exposure through to directing AI inside real office, project and communication workflows.
What does applied AI literacy mean?
Applied AI literacy is the ability to use AI tools competently on the work somebody is actually paid to do, and to judge when the output is wrong. It covers what the tools are, where they fail, how to check them, and how to fit them into an existing workflow without creating new risk.
Which AI tools does the training cover?
Mainstream tools that an employer is likely to already own or be able to get, used inside Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace workflows. The training is about the work, not about one vendor.
Who should take AI Training Academy courses?
Working professionals adding AI to a current role, job seekers and career changers, small business owners, nonprofit staff, and students or early-career professionals.
Is this training technical?
No. It assumes no programming and no data science. It is built for people whose job is something else and who now need to use these tools well.
How is this different from AI for Mission?
The AI Training Academy trains individuals. AI for Mission works with whole nonprofit organizations through a readiness accelerator, staff training, executive briefings and a peer network.
Join the next AI Training Academy session
Tell us which track fits and GISD will reply with the next dates and what the sessions cover.