• Salesforce is set to provide complimentary hands-on AI courses and certifications until 2025, representing an investment exceeding $50 million aimed at preparing individuals for future job opportunities. 
  • The company will establish a temporary AI Center at its headquarters and intends to introduce AI training facilities in its global offices to benefit both communities and employees.
Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), recognized as the leading AI CRM, has announced its initiative to broaden access to skill development by providing complimentary AI training for all individuals. The company will make its premium AI courses and certifications available at no cost through its online learning platform, Trailhead, until the end of 2025.

In support of this initiative, Salesforce plans to establish new facilities at its San Francisco headquarters, which will include a pop-up AI Center for community-based in-person training sessions and a dedicated floor for employees to enhance their skills in AI tools and agents. This new initiative signifies an investment exceeding $50 million aimed at equipping the workforce and addressing the increasing demand for AI skills.

Executive urgency to incorporate AI tools into business operations has increased seven times over the past six months and is now a top concern, above inflation or the broader economy, according to Slack research. But the same research shows that more than two-thirds of workers have yet to use the technology at work — and only 15% of workers strongly agree that they have the education and training necessary to use AI effectively. 

“The advent of AI and agents represents the biggest technological shift of our generation, and will radically change how people work,” said Brian Millham, President and Chief Operating Officer at Salesforce. “We need to ensure everyone is equipped with the skills they need to succeed in this new AI world.”

Expanding access to AI training 

Salesforce has already helped hundreds of thousands of professionals develop technical skills through premium instructor-led training and resume-worthy certifications. The company hopes to reach 100,000 more learners through these new offerings and help every Trailblazer become an Agentblazer.

In addition to the premium content, Trailhead recently expanded its free online courses to offer AI-specific skills training, including AI fundamentals, ethical AI use, prompting, and more. Since June 2023, employees, jobseekers, and learners have earned more than 2.6 million AI and data badges to unlock critical skills. 

Creating spaces to reskill workers with hands-on AI training

Salesforce has begun providing AI training spaces in its offices around the world. In June, the company opened its first AI Center in London, and will unveil a new pop-up AI Center at its headquarters in San Francisco in 2025, with plans to roll out additional training centres in key hubs around the world like Chicago, Tokyo, and Sydney. These physical spaces will host in-person courses offered through Trailhead, as well as bring together industry experts, partners, and customers to advance AI innovation and offer urgent upskilling opportunities.