Google is investing $10 million in a new initiative to bring AI training to 40,000 manufacturing workers across the United States.
The funding comes from Google.org's AI Opportunity Fund and is directed to the Manufacturing Institute (MI), the nonprofit workforce development arm of the National Association of Manufacturers. The partnership will produce two new courses — AI 101 for Manufacturing and Advanced AI for Manufacturing Technicians — designed to give workers practical, hands-on AI skills they can apply directly on the shop floor.
"We know that true innovation happens when the people on the shop floor have access to the technological tools and training they need to succeed," said Maggie Johnson, global head of Google.org. Googlers across the company — from engineers to data analysts — will contribute to the curriculum, which the Manufacturing Institute will then adapt for real-world manufacturing scenarios.
Beyond the courses themselves, the initiative will expand the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) apprenticeship program into at least 15 new regions, embedding the advanced AI curriculum across all existing FAME chapters.
The effort addresses a workforce gap that's only getting larger. The U.S. manufacturing sector is projected to face nearly 1.9 million unfilled jobs by 2033, and equipping workers with AI skills is seen as a key part of closing that shortfall. Carolyn Lee, president of the Manufacturing Institute, emphasized that the training is built around practical application — helping manufacturers adopt new technology faster, operate more efficiently, and stay competitive globally.
Lee also acknowledged the anxiety many workers feel about AI. "There is fear around the unknown and the impact these technologies will have on jobs," she said. The training is partly designed to address that directly — demystifying AI and showing workers clearly how it will be used to augment their skills, not replace them.