Giga Learning Hub

Opportunity overview

The Giga Learning Hub and the AI Skills Coalition invite countries engaged with Giga, as well as countries that have expressed interest in the initiative, to submit an Expression of Interest to participate in a programme offering access to Google online learning opportunities. The programme will provide access to industry-recognized courses in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, information technology, project management, digital marketing, and user experience design. Participating countries may use the programme in line with their national digital skills priorities, including for public sector employees, learners and educators, youth or other target groups. The initiative aims to strengthen digital skills, promote digital inclusion, and build national capacity for an increasingly digital world.

Participating countries will identify the priority learners and organize delivery through the ICT capacity development mechanisms that best fit their national context.

While the focus of this call is the allocation of scholarships to access Google online learning opportunities, participating countries are encouraged to explore complementary learning opportunities available through the Giga Learning Hub (below), ITU Academy and the broader AI Skills Coalition ecosystem. These resources may support countries in developing more comprehensive national digital skills journeys for different learner groups. 

What participating countries will receive

• Country onboarding, implementation support, peer exchange, and performance monitoring.
• Guidance on building role-based learning pathways and competency frameworks for priority groups.
• An initial allocation of 10,000 Google Scholarships for an initial six-month utilization period.
• Additional allocations when enrollment, utilization, and completion rate are above 70% 
• Visibility for country progress and good practices on ICT capacity development program design and delivery through the Giga Learning Hub.

Why participate?

Participating governments will have the opportunity to:

• Advance national digital transformation and workforce development priorities through access to industry-recognized Google professional certificates.
• Build AI and digital skills among priority beneficiary groups, which may include public servants, educators, students, job seekers, entrepreneurs, or other populations aligned with national development objectives.
• Provide learners with access to globally recognized credentials at no cost, helping to develop a future-ready workforce equipped with skills relevant to an increasingly digital economy.
• Leverage the broader learning ecosystem available through the Giga Learning Hub, and complementary resources and courses offered by partners participating in the AI Skills Coalition.
• Promote lifelong learning and equitable access to digital skills development opportunities.
• Strengthen national digital skills systems through targeted skilling initiatives that respond to country-specific priorities, workforce needs, and digital development goals.

Who can apply?

The call is open to the countries engaged with or that have expressed an interest in Giga: Albania, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, Comoros, Commonwealth of Dominica, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Scholarship allocation

A total of 100,000 Google scholarships will be made available to participating countries through this opportunity. Countries are invited to indicate the number of certificates requested and the national skilling objectives they aim to address through their Expression of Interest.

While up to 10,000 scholarships have been set aside per country, final allocations will be determined using an equity-based approach that considers factors such as country demographics, readiness to implement, anticipated impact, and overall demand. This approach recognizes that countries may require different allocation levels to effectively achieve their objectives and seeks to ensure fair and meaningful access across participating countries. Submission of a request does not guarantee allocation of the requested number of certificates.

Expression of interest

Expressions of interest should be submitted by the Giga Focal Point to ITU using the following application form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/jEM4wq8tcX

Countries will be invited to provide:

• The national digital skills or workforce development objective(s) that this opportunity will support. It should answer the question: What national digital skills objective will this opportunity help address? Examples:
  • Strengthening public sector digital capacity.
  • Building AI literacy among civil servants.
  • Improving youth employability.
  • Supporting digital entrepreneurship.
  • Expanding cybersecurity capabilities.
  • Strengthening digital skills in higher education.
• The intended beneficiary group(s).
• The number of certificates requested.
• The expected outcomes of the initiative.
• Information on the proposed approach for participant outreach, selection, and support.
• To facilitate implementation, participating governments should designate a focal point responsible for coordinating the initiative nationally.

Country responsibilities

Participating governments will be responsible for:

• Identifying priority beneficiary groups.
• Conducting outreach and promoting the opportunity nationally.
• Implementing a transparent and inclusive participant selection process.
• Supporting learner engagement and participation.
• Monitoring learner progress and certificate completion.
• Providing basic reporting on programme outcomes.

How progress will be measured

A streamlined dashboard will track:

• Scholarship activation.
• Learner participation by country and priority group.
• Course completion and certificates earned.
• Reported application of acquired skills.

Country focal points will join periodic implementation reviews to share lessons, identify support needs and document learning pathways that can inform future scale up.

Timeline

Milestones and dates:

• Publication of the official announcement: September 21st 2026
• Reception of applications from Giga Focal Points: September 21st – November 1st 2026 
• Evaluation of applications: November 2nd – 4th 2026
• Announcement of selected governments: November 5th 2026
• Induction to selected governments: December 2nd 2026
• Official start of training: December 2026 - June 15th 2027
• Monthly follow-up sessions and calibration of learning paths: Dec 14th, Jan 11th 2027, Feb 1st 2027, March 1st 2027, April 5th 2027, May 3rd 2027, June 7th 2027.
• Presentation of preliminary results: June 21st -25th 2027 AI for Good Summit
• Round table of participating Countries: June 21st -25th 2027 AI for Good Summit 

Implementation support and guidance

Participating countries will receive implementation guidance and support materials to help align certificate selections with national skills development objectives, identify appropriate beneficiary groups, and maximize learner engagement, continued participation, and completion.

This guidance will build on the resources and learning opportunities available through the AI Skills Coalition and the Giga Learning Hub. Countries will also be encouraged to explore complementary learning opportunities available through the broader AI Skills Coalition, Giga Learning Hub and ITU Academy ecosystems to enrich national digital skills development efforts.

Giga is a partnership between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that provides support to countries to connect every school to the Internet by 2030 and give students access to opportunity, information, and choice. Giga facilitates school connectivity through advocacy, technical products, financial advice, capacity development, and procurement support.

About the Giga Learning Hub

The Giga Learning Hub is the umbrella for capacity development and knowledge sharing under the Giga initiative. It aims to empower countries engaged in Giga with actionable tools and insights to advance school connectivity worldwide. All training courses for the Giga Learning Hub are carried out through the ITU Academy. Training on the different aspects of school connectivity is delivered both online and in-person through multiple channels, including face-to-face trainings, instructor-led online courses, and self-paced learning modules.