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Verizon Commits $70 Million to Free AI Training for U.S. Workers
The telecom giant is teaming with OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and others to offer no-cost AI upskilling to job seekers, educators and small businesses.
By THRYV Tech Desk·Published September 24, 2026·Updated September 24, 2026·4 min read
AI · Illustration commissioned for THRYV. Photography is replaced with original imagery as each story is produced.
The takeaway
Verizon announced a $70 million investment in Verizon AI Skills for America, a free training initiative built with OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, IBM and Coursera. The program, worth over $700 a year per person, targets job seekers, displaced workers, educators and small businesses through a single online portal, rolling out nationwide starting September 23, 2026.
Verizon announced on September 23, 2026 that it is putting $70 million into a new initiative called Verizon AI Skills for America, offering free AI training to job seekers, displaced workers, educators and small business owners nationwide.
Where the money comes from
The $70 million combines $20 million already committed through Verizon's existing Reskilling and Career Transition Fund with $50 million in new funding.
Who's involved
The program pulls together AI training content from IBM, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, Coursera and OpenAI, delivered through a single online portal. Verizon is also working with community organizations, including the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) and Goodwill Industries International, to reach people through local programs.
What it offers
Verizon says the bundled training is worth more than $700 a year per person if purchased separately, and is aimed at job seekers, early-career professionals, displaced workers, educators and small businesses looking to build AI skills at no cost.
Companies, working closely together and with the public sector, have a responsibility to invest in people with the same urgency they invest in technology.
Dan Schulman, Verizon CEO
Rollout
The initiative is launching nationwide, though the full slate of wrap-around support services will start in select regional markets first, with Verizon saying it plans to expand based on participant feedback. The company did not disclose a specific enrollment target.
Sources
This article is original writing by THRYV. We link to primary reporting and official documents rather than reproducing them.
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