Verizon announced on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, that it is investing $70 million into a nationwide initiative to provide artificial intelligence (AI) training. The program is designed to reach job seekers, small businesses, and educators as the U.S. workforce adapts to changes in the economy.
The investment builds upon a $20 million commitment the telecommunications company made last year. That initial funding was established to help departing employees gain AI skills after the company announced it was cutting 13,000 jobs. The new announcement adds $50 million to the total effort.
To implement the training, Verizon is partnering with major non-profit programs, including Goodwill Industries. The program will utilize training resources from technology companies such as IBM, Google, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Verizon aims to reach hundreds of thousands of individuals through these partnerships.
Verizon CEO Dan Schulman stated in an interview that AI will change the workforce and argued that such training efforts are necessary to protect democracy. Schulman encouraged other Fortune 100 companies to contribute similar amounts of $50 million to $70 million each, which he noted could create a multibillion-dollar fund for worker development.
For the participants, the impact will be seen in access to technical curriculum. A person utilizing these resources through Goodwill or other partners would potentially improve their eligibility for AI-related job roles. The training is intended to provide specific skills needed for the current job market.
The broader effect of this initiative sets a precedent for how large corporations manage workforce transitions. By involving non-profits like Goodwill, the program establishes a model for distributing technical education through existing community infrastructure. While the $70 million investment has been announced as of September 23, 2026, the specific dates for when individual training modules will be available to the public or when the full funding will be disbursed were not reported. The next steps involve the continued rollout of these training resources across the national partner network.