AI initiative aims to boost skills training in the North

The University College of the North (UCN) has joined a major national effort to close Canada’s artificial intelligence skills gap, announcing it will take part in the AI Workforce Readiness (AIWR) program, an initiative led by the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) and supported by Google.org.

The program brings together 29 Canadian colleges, polytechnics, and universities, collectively representing more than half a million students. Amii estimates the initiative will reach roughly 125,000 students each year, providing foundational and job-ready AI knowledge at a time when industries across the country are scrambling to keep pace with technological change.

For UCN, the partnership represents both an academic opportunity and a regional one.

“At UCN, we’re genuinely excited to join the Amii consortium because it puts powerful, future-ready skills directly in the hands of our students, faculty and staff,” said Tara Manych, UCN’s associate vice-president of transformation in a release. “This partnership is a meaningful step toward digital equity, not just for our institution, but for northern Manitoba as a whole. We’re proud to help lead this kind of transformation, making sure that our communities don’t just keep up, but thrive, as the workforce evolves.”

As part of the initiative, UCN subject-matter experts will collaborate with Amii’s machine-learning educators to develop AI Workforce Readiness Curriculum Resource Packages, specialized, open-source materials designed to help instructors integrate AI competencies directly into existing courses and programs. The curriculum will focus on practical AI literacy, ensuring students gain the skills increasingly required across sectors such as health care, mining, manufacturing, education and public administration.

“Amii’s goal has always been to make AI education accessible, and the AI Workforce Readiness program is the culmination of that commitment,” said Cam Linke, Amii’s CEO. “By fostering a strong national collaboration, we are directly addressing the urgent AI skills gap and empowering both instructors and students, especially those in underserved communities, with the necessary AI literacy skills and resources.”

Linke said the consortium’s national scope, stretching from major urban centres to remote northern regions, is essential for building an inclusive, future-ready workforce.

The partnership aligns with UCN’s longstanding mission to expand educational access across the North. With campuses and community-based learning centres serving remote and predominantly Indigenous communities, the institution says participating in the AIWR network will help ensure northerners are not left behind in Canada’s rapidly evolving digital economy.

UCN emphasized that joining the consortium strengthens its commitment to creating accessible learning opportunities “while respecting diverse Indigenous and northern values,” and positions the institution, and its communities, to benefit from the growing demand for AI-skilled workers.

With Canada’s AI sector accelerating and industries increasingly relying on digital tools, UCN leaders say the collaboration comes at a pivotal moment, giving northern students a direct line to emerging technologies and the skills to compete in a transforming workforce.

» Winnipeg Sun