When discussing AI, it often feels like the goalposts are shifting, and conversations can quickly shift from positive to negative. Yet the fact that so many people in the tech industry and government feel they have incentive to contribute to these ongoing discussions is impressive in itself.
One area where consensus has been reached is in the belief that AI will create jobs. AI bots are not out to take your job; rather, if you want to thrive in the market being shaped by this transformative technology, you will need to acquire the necessary skills to position yourself to remain relevant — and competitive.
To that end, Snowflake has announced the launch of its latest global initiative, the One Million Minds + One Platform program. The aim of this program is to train over 100,000 users on the Snowflake AI Data Cloud by 2027 and to upskill one million individuals in data and AI by 2029, all free of charge.
Major Investment
Snowflake has invested $20 million into its One Million Minds + One Platform program. The initiative is aimed at students and employees in global high-growth and emerging markets.
“To succeed in this digital age, every employee must be equipped with the skills that enable them to contribute in a data and AI-centric world,” said Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO of Snowflake.
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“This requires that AI must not only be accessible for users at every skill level, but that users also have knowledge of how these applications work across the data lifecycle, as well as how to best engage with them. Through our investment, Snowflake is giving academic institutions and workers in regions around the world the tools and training to build successful careers as the technologists and founders of tomorrow.”
Preparing AI-Ready Students
The new funding builds upon the existing Snowflake for Academia program, which provides educators with the courses needed to receive certification in Snowflake. This enables them to share their knowledge with students. By the end of 2025, Snowflake aims to double the number of educators and academic institutions equipped with these capabilities, helping to usher in a new generation of AI-ready students.
In terms of high-growth and emerging markets, new Snowflake Platform Trainings designed for users with little experience with the Snowflake AI Data Cloud will target employees and students across Southeast Asia, Canada, Germany, India, Korea, Latin America, Saudi Arabia, and other jurisdictions. After completing the training, users can become certified by passing the SnowPro Platform Associate Certification.
Closing Thoughts
Snowflake’s latest training initiative serves two important purposes: reaching a wider audience with AI intelligence and engaging diverse communities. Additionally, it signifies a fundamental shift in tech education from a paid model to a free one.
Today, most large tech organizations provide free training resources. This shift is critical because the pace of technology is so rapid that many stakeholders are quickly being left behind, struggling to understand how to effectively utilize newly available tools. When a significant portion of your customer base cannot use the tools you encourage them to implement, it results in lost revenue opportunities.
By offering free, accessible training, Snowflake aims to enable more people to adopt its products quickly, shortening the onboarding process. With competition intensifying, this trend will continue to grow, overwhelmingly benefiting end users.
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