Verizon Puts $70M Toward Free AI Training for Small Businesses
Verizon launched a $70 million program called AI Skills for America that provides free AI training and certifications from Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and OpenAI through a centralized online portal.
Key Takeaways
- Access free training modules directly from the creators of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
- Use the centralized Verizon portal to avoid paying for expensive external AI consultants.
- Get local support through partners like Goodwill and NACCE to apply AI to your specific business operations.
You don't need a $5,000 consultant to teach your team how to use AI. Verizon just committed $70 million to a new initiative called AI Skills for America. This program gathers training materials from Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and OpenAI into one place for business owners to use at no cost.
The program targets small businesses and job seekers who need to bridge the gap between basic chat tools and actual workplace productivity. Verizon is building a single online portal to host these resources. By centralizing lessons from the companies that actually build the software, you get direct access to the logic they want you to follow.
The goal is to move past the fear of displacement and start using these tools to handle specific tasks. Verizon CEO Dan Schulman noted that companies have a responsibility to invest in people with the same urgency they invest in technology. For you, this means your training budget just got a significant subsidy.
Instead of fragmented YouTube tutorials, the portal will offer structured paths from industry leaders. You can expect to see modules on how to wire up workflows using Anthropic’s Claude, how to manage data with Google Cloud AI, and how to automate document tasks with Microsoft’s tools. These aren't just theoretical lectures: they are designed to build skills you can apply to your daily operations immediately.
Verizon is also partnering with groups like Goodwill Industries and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE). These partners will provide local support to help you figure out how to stack these new skills onto your existing business model. It’s a practical way to get your staff up to speed without the enterprise level price tag.
The program is rolling out across the US right now. You can start by checking the Verizon AI Skills for America announcement for the latest portal links. Because the funding comes from a mix of $50 million in new capital and $20 million from Verizon’s Reskilling and Career Transition Fund, the materials are vetted for professional use rather than just casual hobbyists.
Start by identifying one department (like customer service or marketing) and have them go through a single module together. This prevents the overwhelm of trying to learn everything at once. Once they finish a course from a provider like Google or IBM, have them show you one specific task they can now do faster. That is how you turn a free course into a measurable business win.
If you want to see how to apply these specific tools to your own growth plan, join our next 3-day training where we walk through these exact setups live.