AI Training Academy
Dedicated AI training tracks for every level, from first exposure to applied professional use.
Workshops, bootcamps, cohort tracks
From January 2027
One institute, three pillars, one portfolio.
Everything GISD does belongs to one of three pillars, and each pillar is designed to reinforce the others. Education builds capability, community engagement builds networks, and economic advancement turns both into lasting opportunity.
Pillar 01: Education and skills development.
AI for Mission
Our nonprofit AI initiative: readiness accelerator, staff training, and executive briefings for nonprofit organizations.
Organizational cohorts and workshops
Professional certificate programs
Cohort-based certificates combining hard skills, software fluency, and embedded AI practice. The first is the Certified Administrative Specialist with AI.
10-session cohorts, virtual or hybrid
Project Management Fundamentals
Agile and Waterfall methodologies and industry tools; prepares for entry-level PM roles or CAPM.
8-week course with capstone
Digital Literacy and Productivity Platforms
Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Slack, and cloud collaboration, for beginners.
Modular workshops
Freelancing and Independent Contractor Readiness
Platform profiles, client acquisition, contracts, invoicing, and self-employment tax compliance.
Workshop series
Career Readiness
Individualized preparation that helps participants compete for and advance in employment: job readiness and workforce preparation, resume writing and LinkedIn optimization, professional communication skills, and interview preparation and career coaching.
Coaching and workshops
GISD Career Accelerator: Certified Administrative Specialist and AI Hands-On Training.
- 10 live instructor-led sessions: 8 training plus 2 coaching.
- Certificate and reference letter at 75 percent or higher on practical assignments.
- One-month Microsoft 365 license purchased by GISD or a partner organization.
- Graduation and networking event with local employers.
- Next cohorts: October to November 2026 and January to February 2027.
The ten sessions
- Admin roles, responsibilities and ethics
- Communication, email and scheduling
- Document formatting and file management
- Workflow, task and time management
- Event and meeting planning
- AI tools for research, scheduling and writing
- Resume writing and job search including LinkedIn
- Marketing, freelancing and finance basics
- Coaching, admin practice and feedback
- Coaching, final review and career planning
Who it is for
- Job seekers and career changers
- New immigrants building U.S. experience
- Students and recent graduates
- Virtual assistants and freelancers
- Veterans and transitioning military
- Small business owners who want to use AI to grow
Pillar 02: Community engagement and development.
AI and Employment Forum series and annual conference
Public convenings on AI's effect on work in the region, connecting participants, employers, researchers, and policymakers.
Forums and conference
First forum November 2026
Virginia Nonprofit AI Network
A peer network of nonprofit leaders adopting AI, part of the AI for Mission initiative.
Membership network
Community Capacity-Building Sessions
Hands-on workshops that strengthen the skills and networks of community members, nonprofit leaders, and small organizations.
By engagement
SDGs and AI Dialogue
A cross sector dialogue series connecting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically quality education, decent work, reduced inequalities, and partnerships, with practical and responsible uses of AI.
Dialogue series
Immigrant professional network
Connection, credential navigation, and professional community for internationally trained professionals.
Network
Youth and early-career engagement
Programming that brings students and early-career professionals into the institute's work.
Programs and events
Partnerships and Collaboration
Cross sector alliances that extend GISD's reach and resources: nonprofit sector collaboration, government and public sector partnerships, private sector engagement, and academic and research partnerships.
Institutional partnerships
Pillar 03: Economic opportunity and advancement.
GISD Research Fellows
Practitioners, scholars, and graduate researchers producing applied research with the institute.
Non-resident fellowship
Policy advocacy and recommendations
Community-informed policy recommendations for local and state decision makers.
Briefs and engagement
Economic Opportunity Map
A data initiative mapping workforce demand, training assets, and opportunity gaps across the region.
Research initiative
State of AI in Virginia Nonprofits
An annual study of AI adoption, barriers, and outcomes across the Virginia nonprofit sector.
Annual study
Entrepreneurship Readiness Program
Education for aspiring founders: planning, formation, finance basics, and first customers.
Course and workshops
Career pathway development and mentorship
Structured pathways from training into employment, with mentors drawn from the institute's networks.
Mentorship program
Mentorship pilot March 2027
Financial capability education
Practical personal finance for workforce participants and new entrepreneurs.
Workshops
Economic Development Dialogues and Roundtables
Convenings of government, private sector, and nonprofit leaders on economic inclusion, entrepreneurship, and workforce integration, with employer roundtables as one component.
Dialogues and roundtables
February 2027