Led by Miami Dade College, NAAIC marks its first year transforming AI education, reaching 31,000 students, and charting a new model for applied AI learning.

The National Applied AI Consortium, a national initiative led by Miami Dade College with partners Houston City College and Maricopa Community Colleges, today announced a $2 million funding from Google.org to expand its groundbreaking work training America’s next generation of AI professionals through community colleges.

Launched in 2024 with support from the National Science Foundation, NAAIC has grown into the country’s leading network for applied AI education, helping make the benefits of artificial intelligence accessible to every community in America. Its mission is straightforward: give educators the training, resources, and industry connections they need to bring real-world AI skills directly into their classrooms.

“In just one year, we’ve seen how community colleges can redefine who gets to participate in the AI economy,” said Antonio Delgado, Vice President of Innovation and Technology Partnerships at Miami Dade College and Executive Director of NAAIC. “The Google.org funding amplifies that mission, giving us the ability to train more educators, mentor more colleges, and reach more students at scale.”

Since its launch, NAAIC has supported 320 colleges across 46 states and two U.S. territories, trained 1,000+ faculty in applied AI, and impacted over 31,000 students. Collectively, these educators have been exposed to more than 10,000 hours of AI training from industry leaders such as Microsoft, Intel, AWS, Google, and OpenAI, setting the foundation for new AI certificates, degrees, and workforce programs.

“NAAIC has proven that when you train teachers, you transform systems,” said Samir Saber, Dean at Houston City College. “Faculty who had never touched AI are now leading courses in machine learning and computer vision, and their students are graduating into jobs that didn’t even exist a few years ago.”

The $2 million Google.org funding will support the expansion of NAAIC’s mentorship network, support professional certifications for both community college and K–12 educators, and underwrite NAAIC AI Summit, to be held in February 2026 at Miami Dade College.

“Learning is a deeply human process that is anchored in community, from personal moments that spark curiosity to professors who help further it,” said Ben Gomes, Google’s Chief Technologist of Learning & Sustainability. “By collaborating with institutions whose work is core to these relationships, we hope to equip students with the lifelong skills they need to succeed in the AI era, from the classroom to their careers.”

At the core of NAAIC’s approach is the belief that community colleges are the nation’s workforce engine, positioned to scale AI education affordably and inclusively. Through its Business & Industry Leadership Team (BILT), the consortium works directly with AI experts from companies like Intel, AWS, Microsoft, and Jobs for the Future to align curriculum with real-world needs, ensuring graduates are “AI-ready” from day one.

Industry experts agree that the stakes are national. “This is an economic and national security imperative,” said Aaron Burciaga, Founder of Blue Collar AI and NAAIC BILT member. “Community colleges give the U.S. an edge by producing workforce-ready AI talent faster than universities. If we expand this effort, we don’t just compete, we lead.”

With continued support, NAAIC projects the following outcomes by 2027:

• 10,000 faculty trained nationwide
• 1,000,000 students reached
• 250 new AI academic programs launched
• Expanded partnerships across 20 additional technology leaders

“The future of work is already here,” Delgado added. “Our job is to make sure every American has a place in it.”

About the National Applied AI Consortium (NAAIC)

NAAIC connects community colleges, industry leaders, and faculty nationwide to build a robust national AI talent pipeline. Led by Miami Dade College, Houston City College and Maricopa Community Colleges, we're democratizing AI education by bringing cutting-edge, industry-informed teaching to the undergraduate level.

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NAAIC has grown into the country’s leading network for applied AI education.