On September 23, Verizon announced AI Skills for America, a $70 million program to provide AI training across the U.S. It's run with community organizations, starting with Goodwill Industries, and uses training material from IBM, Google, Anthropic, Microsoft and OpenAI. The program is separate from Verizon's phone plans and doesn't affect what customers pay.
What the program is
Verizon says the training will be free and aimed at specific jobs, for job seekers, small businesses and educators. It expects to reach hundreds of thousands of people. Goodwill is the first partner because it already runs local job training, including digital skills courses it has offered since 2017.
The $70 million includes $20 million Verizon committed last year to train employees leaving the company, after it announced plans to cut 13,000 jobs. The new program adds $50 million on top.
Why Verizon is doing it
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman told Reuters he wants other large companies to fund similar programs. He said that if every Fortune 100 company contributed $50 million to $70 million, it would create a multibillion-dollar fund.
Does this affect Verizon customers?
No. The program doesn't change any Verizon plan, price or perk. The AI offer that does involve customers is separate: Verizon is currently giving six months of Google AI Pro on eligible plans, which then renews at $10 a month.
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Jean Gilles has researched personal finance, consumer technology, and wireless pricing for over a decade. He founded ShopCellPlans in 2019 and writes every review on the site.
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