By Lisa Everett, AI Skills Director Canada, Microsoft Elevate
Across Canada, communities are meeting the promise of artificial intelligence with curiosity and optimism. From classrooms in Halifax to nonprofit offices in Vancouver, people are beginning to move beyond AI exploration and into implementing AI strategically to strengthen their work, expand opportunity and open doors to new possibilities. This moment is about more than technology. It is about ensuring that every Canadian has the chance to participate in shaping an AI future that is inclusive, empowering and grounded in the needs of people.
Since July 2024, more than 5.7 million Canadians have begun their AI learning journey through Microsoft’s free skilling programs and over 500,000 have already completed an AI training course. Behind those numbers are countless stories of an educator discovering how AI can enrich their classroom, a nonprofit worker learning to better serve their community in a digital-first world, a public servant building new skills to help serve Canadians, or a small business owner exploring AI tools to grow their organization. Together, these examples demonstrate the role of learning in elevating communities and preparing Canadians for an AI-powered future.
Building Canadian Confidence in AI
Canada has long been recognized as a leader in AI research, but the benefits of that leadership must extend beyond labs and research hubs. By 2030, nearly 60 percent of the global workforce will require new digital skills. That said, only 24% of Canadians reported having received AI training, compared to 39% globally. For Canada to remain competitive and inclusive, these skills need to reach every corner of the country. By equipping educators, nonprofit professionals, and learners with AI skills and tools, Microsoft Elevate aims to help strengthen social impact organizations and educational institutions across Canada. At its core, the initiative is about putting people first and ensuring that AI expands opportunity for everyone.
Microsoft Elevate in Canada is designed to bring this commitment to life by creating learning pathways that evolve alongside technology and remain accessible to people at every stage of learning – from students in classrooms to professionals in the workforce or leaders of community organizations.
One way this commitment is coming to life is through an expanded partnership with Actua, Canada’s leading STEM youth outreach network, which reaches more than 500,000 young people each year. Together, we are advancing Actua’s AI Ready program, helping students and teachers build AI literacy and use this technology responsibly in classrooms, while also creating opportunities for parents to engage in conversations about data safety and digital guidance at home. These efforts recognize that building AI literacy is not just about formal education. It is about supporting whole communities including students, families, and educators alike to feel prepared and confident in a rapidly changing world.
Elevating Communities Across Canada
This work builds on strong progress already underway. Our partnership with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and KPMG Skills Development Centre is helping public servants develop the digital and AI skills needed to modernize government services. The Navigating AI: Age of the Agent program builds on last year’s foundations and introduces public sector leaders to the next frontier of generative AI through hands-on training, digital badges, and certification. These skills will enable leaders to adopt AI responsibly while ensuring government remains responsive to the evolving needs of citizens.
In education, students are sparking curiosity and developing digital problem-solving skills with Minecraft Education’s AI Literacy modules, immersive, game-based lessons that demystify AI, teach responsible use, and explore real-world applications like ethics, conservation, and digital citizenship. With classroom partners like Logics Academy, as well as long-time collaborators Actua and Canada Learning Code, learners of all ages are building confidence, curiosity, and AI fluency. Together, these initiatives will credential tens of thousands of learners by 2026, ensuring teachers, students, and lifelong learners have the skills and support needed to navigate and shape Canada’s AI future.
Microsoft is committed to working with Indigenous communities across Canada to support AI skills development. For example, this year, Microsoft has extended funding for the First Nations Technology Council project that will enable First Nations communities across British Columbia and Canada to explore and adopt AI technologies. The new funding will expand digital inclusion by providing free, asynchronous training that equips First Nations staff and leadership in BC with foundational, culturally founded skills to understand and use AI safely and effectively.
In the nonprofit sector, our renewed partnership with the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR) and Imagine Canada is scaling a transformative initiative for charities and nonprofits: Scaling Generative AI Across Canada’s Nonprofit Sector. Building on the success of year one, which will see the launch of the Canadian Nonprofit AI Index and the Nonprofit AI Impact Hub, the Hub platform will provide access to resources like role-based training and micro-credentials designed by and for the sector, strengthening the digital resilience of Canada’s 170,000+ charities and nonprofits, which employ over 2.7 million people. With goals to deliver 5,000+ micro-credentials, reach 40,000+ nonprofit professionals, and ensure equity-deserving communities are prioritized, this project is embedding ethical, equity-centered AI adoption for communities across the country.
Together, these partnerships are creating a ripple effect – elevating AI literacy at every level of Canadian society. From classrooms and nonprofits to government agencies and community organizations, we are ensuring that AI serves everyone by building the skills, confidence, and capacity that Canadians need to innovate, collaborate, and thrive.
Shaping Canada’s AI Future Together
For Canadians looking to begin or continue their learning journey, the AI Skills Navigator provides a place to start. It offers training pathways and credentials tailored to learners at different stages, from those just beginning to those ready to deepen their expertise. By investing in people, organizations and ideas, and connecting educators, nonprofit leaders and learners to the skills and tools they need, we can help elevate whole communities.
Canada’s AI future will not be built by technology alone, but by the people who approach it with curiosity, imagination, and purpose – driving innovation, connection, and collaboration. Microsoft Elevate is about ensuring that every Canadian has the opportunity to take part in that future and to shape it in ways that reflect our shared values of inclusivity, opportunity and resilience. Together, we can build a future where AI serves everyone.
To start your journey and explore how Microsoft Elevate is helping Canadians thrive, learn more on the official website.