On June 28, 2023, Microsoft and LinkedIn kicked off the AI Skills Initiative certificate program. It’s a collection of free videos aimed at helping professionals who are new to generative AI. The goal? To show participants how to use generative AI effectively in their jobs. By December 2024, Microsoft had enhanced this offering by launching the AI Skills Navigator portal.
So, what is the Career Essentials in Generative AI program? It’s built around five modules, each featuring a video. Some modules come with quizzes or workbook files. If you complete all five, you receive a Professional Certificate in Generative AI to showcase on LinkedIn Learning. Notably, the course leans towards Microsoft’s Copilot, rather than Google’s Gemini. The training will be available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Japanese, and it’s free through 2025.
Naria Santa Lucia, Microsoft’s general manager of digital inclusion, highlighted the initiative’s aim to provide foundational knowledge. She emphasized the mutual learning experience between humans and technology and the opportunity we have to shape how tech supports us.
This initiative is part of Microsoft’s Skills for Jobs program, which also includes training for educators exploring AI, with some material focusing on Microsoft Azure and Azure OpenAI.
Generative AI skills are crucial, as companies are prioritizing employee training in this area. According to the World Economic Forum, over 75% of firms plan to adopt AI within five years, making training in AI and big data their third-highest skill training priority. This encompasses generative AI and machine learning.
The relevance of AI in the workplace is further highlighted by Microsoft’s May 2024 Work Trend Index, revealing that 75% of knowledge workers are utilizing AI. However, many are anxious about job security; 53% worry about appearing replaceable due to AI, and 45% fear losing their jobs altogether. Conversely, 55% of hiring leaders are concerned about talent shortages in 2025.
Last year’s index showed 49% of workers feared AI would make their roles obsolete, yet 70% were open to offloading some tasks to AI to lighten their workload. Microsoft is responding to these fears by advocating for upskilling in AI, which includes prompt engineering—a unique element of generative AI training.
Shravan Goli, Coursera’s COO, explained that generative AI tools require users to provide effective prompts; without them, productivity gains are unlikely. He also stressed the importance of ethical oversight in generative AI training, highlighting the necessity for companies to establish clear ethical guidelines as society navigates the broader implications of this powerful technology.
This story originally published in 2023 and was updated for 2024.
