The Connecticut AI Academy will expand in the coming years following a high demand for enrollment.
Connecticut launched its Artificial Intelligence Academy program earlier this year. The certificate program, a partnership between Charter Oak State College and Google, has seen high enrollment numbers since its launch.
Nancy Taylor is the executive director of workforce development at Charter Oak. Taylor said the main curriculum was created and made available through Google certificates. The coursework centers around the basics of Artificial Intelligence through interactive videos and class exercises. But the academy operated by Charter Oak includes additional material from professors at the college.
“It used to be that people would say, even a year or two ago, 'What job can I get with AI skills?' And that's no longer the question. The question now is, 'How am I going to get a job if I don't have AI skills?'” Taylor said. “You really need AI literacy training for pretty much anything you're going to do at any level of employment.”
Once the program is completed, participants will receive a Google AI Essentials badge that they can post on LinkedIn or other professional websites. Taylor said another major benefit of residents who decide to take the course through Charter Oak is that it’s completely free.
The Connecticut State Legislature provided the funding. It was originally part of a 2024 bill that sought to establish regulations on AI use in Connecticut and outline funds for AI workforce development. The bill in its entirety did not pass, but lawmakers did approve funding to establish the Connecticut Online AI Academy.
Since its launch in January, Taylor said the academy has seen a high demand. She said once enrollment opens, the class gets full quickly. Taylor said the plan is to continue the program next year and add more course cycles.
“So far to date, we have two thousand people, and we're only halfway through the year or so, so we have about two thousand people who have either taken the course or registered to take the next section of it,” Taylor said. “So clearly, the demand is really there.”
This year, the CT legislature passed a bill that provided funding to expand the project with $500,000 for the coming years and $1 million over two years. Charter Oak plans to expand the program by offering industry-specific AI certificates in addition to continuing the AI essentials course. Taylor said they are looking into offering AI programs for small businesses, nonprofits and educators in K-12 education.
Charter Oak will also consider establishing a teen AI academy that will be part online and part in-person, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. Taylor said they want to tailor it to teenagers' needs today, like safety and responsible AI use. The goal is to prepare students for the 2030 job market.
“We need to make sure that those students are prepared for the jobs that are going to be out there. So if our students are not learning about AI now as teenagers, they're going to be really behind when they get out of college,” Taylor said.
Taylor said that although Charter Oak won't be able to use funds until 2026, they have already begun to make connections within the community. This fall, the college will meet with experts to develop an additional curriculum that will be ready to launch in the spring of next year.
Connecticut residents interested in the AI Academy can register on the Charter Oak website. To accommodate the high demand, new slots are expected to open.
