An education startup used by Walmart, Hilton, and Disney wants to close the AI skills gap for frontline workers

While AI will disrupt jobs in most industries, frontline workers will likely face the most significant hurdles in overcoming the skills gap created. Recent research from McKinsey found that workers in the two lowest wage quintiles are up to 10 to 14 times more likely than the highest earners to be forced to change occupations by 2030.

To help these workers keep up with the rapidly evolving technology, education startup Guild unveiled a new AI skills learning program targeted at frontline workers on Tuesday. The learnings include over 35 programs offered through eCornell, Louisiana State University, and Southern New Hampshire University. 

Although frontline workers represent over 70% of the U.S. workforce, only 14% say they have received training on how AI will affect their jobs, according to a June study from Boston Consulting Group. With its new offerings, Guild, which serves major employers like Walmart, Hilton, and Disney, aims to help employers upskill workers with market-relevant AI competencies.

“As we started to gather information around what people are doing and what gaps exist, one of the things that became pretty obvious to us is that [for] the frontline worker in particular, there aren’t a lot of offerings that cater to enabling that population,” says Bijal Shah, Guild’s chief experience officer. 

The teachings range from AI basics to understanding its applications in the workplace. The programs will target four key areas:

AI fundamentals: Learning the basics of AI literacy, including how it’s used and ethics

AI in practice: How AI tools are used in the workplace, by the individual employee, and in the broader organization

AI expertise: Technical programming on how to build AI tools and algorithms

AI for leaders: Executive best practices for designing and implementing an AI-driven strategy.

The learning offerings are meant to be accessible. Many programs don’t require a bachelor’s degree, and several can be taken without prior educational experience.

Guild, whose primary member demographic is frontline workers, has seen a recent explosion in AI interest. Application volume for existing AI programs on its Learning Marketplace grew by nearly 800% over the past year.

“With frontline workers, in particular, they tend to have the least accessibility to new technology. They also sometimes cannot use it because they’re nervous,” says Shah. “We’re trying to lower the barrier and make it more approachable…and at a level where someone feels like they really can understand the inner workings of what’s happening.”

Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion

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