Canada invests CAD $28.7M in AI training for energy jobs

The Government of Canada has announced new funding initiatives to strengthen skills training in artificial intelligence (AI) for energy workers and increase computing resources for AI researchers.

The Sustainable Jobs Training Fund will allocate over CAD $9 million to the "AI Pathways: Energizing Canada's Low-Carbon Workforce" project, led by the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii). This program aims to help nearly 5,000 energy sector workers acquire AI and machine learning skills applicable to careers in renewable energy areas such as wind, solar, geothermal, and hydrogen.

Support for workers

The AI Pathways initiative is structured to offer both online and in-person training options, with a flexible approach to accommodate mid-career workers, industry associations, and labour unions across Canada. The goal is to support the workforce as the energy sector moves towards lower-carbon technologies and processes.

"Canada's future depends on skilled workers. Investing and upskilling Canadian workers ensures they can adapt and succeed in an energy sector that's changing faster than ever. When Canadian workers succeed, all of Canada benefits," said Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario.

This funding is part of a broader governmental push to help Canadian workers adapt to an evolving energy landscape and take advantage of opportunities created by the transition to net-zero emissions.

AI research funding

Alongside workforce training, nearly CAD $19.7 million in federal funding is being directed through the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy to support Amii's advanced computing infrastructure. The investment is intended to widen access for Amii's clients and researchers to high-performance computing resources that are essential to train and deploy sophisticated AI models.

 Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation said the move will also help Canada work towards becoming the strongest economy in the G7.

The initiative is expected to facilitate AI research and development, accelerate commercialisation, and support Canadian businesses in bringing AI-enabled products and services to market. This, in turn, could contribute to productivity gains and the growth of Canada's innovation ecosystem.

The investments are set against a backdrop of significant workforce changes. Recent projections suggest approximately 1.2 million Canadian workers across all sectors may retire within the next three years. Simultaneously, reports from the Royal Bank of Canada indicate that as the country moves towards net-zero emissions, up to 400,000 new jobs could be created by 2030, particularly in sectors aligned with clean energy and related technologies.

The Amii initiative is one of eight funded projects through the Sustainable Jobs Training Fund, which supports training for more than 10,000 Canadians. Beyond the energy sector, funded projects are providing skills for jobs in electric vehicle maintenance, green buildings, retrofits, and carbon management.

Amii is one of three federal AI institutes in Canada, alongside Montreal's Mila and Toronto's Vector Institute.