Google and ITU AI Skills Scholarships: How to Begin

Google and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are funding 100,000 certificate scholarships across more than 80 countries. The seats are not a public first-come form. National Giga focal points must file an expression of interest by October 21, 2026.

If you want a seat, the useful move this month is to find out whether your country is applying, then start the same Google training on your own if a scholarship does not land. This guide uses the September 22, 2026 announcement on the Google blog and the ITU Academy Giga Learning Hub page.

What the scholarship actually covers

On September 22, 2026, Grow with Google and the ITU said they would provide 100,000 certificate scholarships through the AI Skills Coalition, a partner effort under ITU’s AI for Good program. Delivery runs through local governments and the ITU-UNICEF Giga network, which works to connect schools to the internet.

The Google blog says the scholarships sit alongside a catalogue of more than 200 courses. Training is meant for students, teachers, job seekers, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and civil servants. Google says the practice does not require a technology background, and that certificates are taught by experts so learners can show the credential to employers.

ITU estimates that 1.2 billion people still need training for basic digital skills, and another 311 million need training above that level. Google also cites Ipsos research that hands-on training makes people up to four times more likely to feel confident with AI. Those figures explain the scale. They do not mean every resident of a listed country gets a seat.

Who can request seats, and by when

Individuals do not submit the expression of interest. The ITU Academy page says the Giga focal point for a country files it. The open window runs from September 21 to October 21, 2026. Evaluation is listed for October 22–27. Selected governments are scheduled to be announced on October 28, with an induction on November 5.

The call is limited to countries already engaged with Giga, or that have expressed interest. The published list includes India, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, the Philippines, Pakistan, Egypt, Ukraine, Ghana, and many others across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe. If your country is not on that list, this particular allocation is not the route.

Allocations are capped in the request, not guaranteed. ITU says up to 10,000 scholarships are set aside per country for an initial six-month utilization period. Final numbers use an equity approach that weighs demographics, readiness, expected impact, and demand. Extra seats can follow if enrollment, utilization, and completion stay above 70 percent. A request does not lock in the number a country asks for.

The same page lists the official training start as November 18, with a program window through June 15, monthly follow-ups from December 2026 through May 2027, and preliminary results at the June 2027 AI for Good Summit.

What a focal point has to include

The form asks for a national digital-skills objective, the beneficiary groups, the number of certificates requested, expected outcomes, and a plan for outreach, selection, and support. Example objectives on the ITU page include public-sector digital capacity, AI literacy for civil servants, youth employability, digital entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, and higher-education skills.

Governments that are selected must pick priority groups, run outreach, use a transparent selection process, support participation, track completion, and report basic outcomes. Country teams also get onboarding, peer exchange, and guidance on role-based pathways.

How to check your country before October 21

1. Open the Giga Learning Hub page on the ITU Academy and confirm your country is on the eligible list.
2. Ask the ministry that handles school connectivity, digital skills, or the national Giga focal point whether an expression of interest is being filed. The form itself is restricted to that focal point.
3. If you work in education, a local government, or a workforce program, send the focal point a short note on the group you can reach and how you would support completion. Selection of learners happens nationally after seats are awarded.
4. Watch for the October 28 announcement of selected governments, then the November 5 induction. Training is not open to the public on September 22. It starts after countries are chosen.
5. Keep a record of the group you belong to — student, educator, job seeker, public servant, or small-business owner — because countries choose beneficiaries against those priorities.

Start the Google AI certificate without waiting

A scholarship is one funding path. The underlying credential is already public. Grow with Google lists the Google AI Professional Certificate on Coursera, Google Skills, and Udemy. No prior experience is required. The current page describes eight courses, about an hour each, completed at your own pace.

The courses are AI Fundamentals, AI for Brainstorming and Planning, AI for Research and Insights, AI for Writing and Communicating, AI for Content Creation, AI for Data Analysis, AI for App Building, and AI for App Deployment. Practice uses Gemini, including Canvas and Deep Research, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Docs, Slides, and Sheets, and Google AI Studio for a custom app. Enrollment includes three months of Google AI Pro at no cost. Google says that offer must be redeemed by January 1, 2027, and that terms apply.

In the United States and Canada, Grow with Google lists the subscription at $49 per month. Prices can differ elsewhere. The certificate is in English and has translations that include Arabic, French, German, Hindi is not listed, Indonesian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, and Ukrainian, among others.

Educators comparing badges can also read the Google AI Educator Series badges guide for a separate training path aimed at teachers.

What to do in the first hour

Create or sign in to the account you will use for the certificate, then enroll from grow.google/ai or the Coursera Google AI certificate page. Turn on the included Google AI Pro access before the January 1, 2027 redemption date so the hands-on activities are not blocked.

Finish AI Fundamentals first. It covers core generative AI ideas and how to check outputs before you use them at work. Then pick the course that matches a task you already have: research notes in the research course, a spreadsheet in the data course, or a small internal tool in the app-building course.

Save the project files. Google says completers leave with a shareable certificate and a set of hands-on activities they can show. If a national scholarship arrives later, you will already know the tools and can use the funded seat for a longer certificate in the Coalition catalogue, which also includes data analytics, cybersecurity, IT support, project management, digital marketing, and user experience design.

Limits to plan for

Seats are finite, country-allocated, and not transferable by a blog signup. A focal point that misses October 21 misses this call. Skills do not sync themselves into a job offer. Google’s own page says the certificate does not carry university credit and is meant for using AI at work, not for a research role in model training.

Google also reports, citing a 2024 Work Trend Index figure on its certificate page, that 70 percent of employers would prioritize a candidate with AI skills over one with more years of experience. Treat that as hiring-manager survey context, not a promise that this badge clears a specific job filter.

Bottom line

The 100,000 scholarships are real, dated, and routed through governments. Eligible countries have until October 21, 2026, for a Giga focal point to apply. Selected governments are due October 28, with training scheduled to begin November 18. Anyone else can start the Google AI Professional Certificate now, use the included Google AI Pro trial before January 1, 2027, and keep the credential whether or not a national seat opens.

Sources

• Google blog, September 22, 2026: Investing in global talent and AI literacy (grow.google/ai)
• ITU Academy, Giga Learning Hub: Advance Digital Skills Through Google Learning Opportunities
• Grow with Google: Google AI Professional Certificate course list, pricing, languages, and Google AI Pro offer terms