Advance your career with

Workplace AI Essentials

Learn how to use AI tools to save time, improve your work, earn a digital certificate, and build job-ready projects in just 6 weeks— Free!

6 Weeks
10 hours/week

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Why Workplace AI Essentials?

In today’s workplace, AI isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a practical tool being used across industries. With this surge in adoption, professionals who know how to use AI confidently have a massive edge in the job market.

In-Demand Skills Organizations are investing heavily in AI-enabled workflows—automating routine tasks, improving communications and using data more effectively. Writing effective prompts is now a highly sought-after skill.

Hybrid Career Opportunities Open doors to hybrid + AI roles that combine foundational professional skills with emerging tech. Become an office administrator with AI fluency, a workflow coordinator using AI automation or a tech-enhanced customer support specialist.

Flexible & Accessible You don’t need a technical background. Designed to fit into busy schedules, this part-time, online program is built around your life so you can boost your productivity without burning out.

Close-up of professional hands typing on a laptop with a coffee nearby, representing focused work with AI tools

Your 6-Week Roadmap to AI Fluency

This applied learning experience combines short Coursera modules, 1:1 coaching, live workshops and peer engagement. By the end of six weeks, you will demonstrate job-ready competency through an applied capstone project.

~8 Hours / WeekExpected Commitment

Week 1

Getting Started with AI

Demystify AI, build early confidence, and take your first real steps with prompting.

Week 2

Plan + Brainstorm with AI

Level up prompting skills and use AI as a real thinking and planning partner.

Week 3

Communicate + Create with AI

Use AI to improve the quality and efficiency of workplace writing and research.

Week 4

Analyze + Apply with AI

Use AI to make sense of data and apply those same analytical skills to the job search.

Week 5

Build + Prepare with AI

Push into more advanced AI creation and get ready to talk about what you’ve built.

Week 6

Reflect + Launch

Complete and present your capstone, connect your learning to your career narrative, and build a plan for staying current in AI.

Portfolio Capstone Project

Throughout the 6 weeks, you’ll build a portfolio-ready project that demonstrates how you used AI to improve a real task from your own work or job search. You choose the task—whatever is most relevant to your role, your industry, or where you’re headed next.

Week 2 Identify your task and write your first AI prompt.

Week 3 Build a working first draft of your artifact.

Week 4 Test, evaluate, and refine your work.

Week 5 Polish your near-final draft and get coach feedback.

Week 6 Submit your completed capstone and tell your story.

Our alums work for the world’s top companies

Build in-demand skills for free

Build practical workplace skills and enhance your resume at absolutely no cost. Gain access to the resources, support, and hands-on activities that can make an impact in just weeks.

A Merit America learner receiving one-on-one career coaching and job placement support.

Learn in-demand skills
Land a great job
Free to join – limited seats
Support the next cohort

Learn on your time, from anywhere, while keeping your day job

Our programs are built for people with busy lives. Your coursework and meetings are online, and live meetings are only 3-5 hours per week. You can complete the technical coursework (through providers like Google) in-between shifts, on weekends – whatever works for your life.

Explore career options

A woman sits on the floor, working her remote job in tech.

Monday, January 10

Merit America Program

At Work 8am – 3pm
Online Coursework 3pm – 5pm
Daycare pick-up 5:15pm
Family Dinner 6pm
1:1 Career Coaching 8pm

Work with a coach dedicated to your success

Meet regularly with a career coach and join live, topic based workshops that fit your schedule. After you finish, you’ll join a network of thousands of Merit America alumni.

Meet our coaches

Joining…

Michael, Career Coach
How’s your week so far?
Cora
I’m really struggling with my resume…
Michael, Career Coach
That makes sense. A lot of people get stuck here, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

We’ll work through your resume together and translate what you’ve been doing into skills employers actually look for. And the timing’s good — you’re only a week away from earning your Google IT Support Certificate.

A women scratches her head while researching how to break into tech.

Two career changers view Merit America's curriculum

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the training in-person, online or both?

The training is 100 percent online, but it’s interactive. You will complete your program on the Canvas platform. You will interact with your squad and access career coaching services through the Merit America platform. Both provide a blended online learning environment where you will participate in live virtual meetings and complete coursework independently online through industry-recognized partners, like Google.

You will leverage learning tools such as the widely used digital workplace platforms and software, including: Zoom, Slack, Google Suite, and our customized Merit America Learner Portal.

What are the admission requirements?

To be eligible for any of Merit America’s programs, the following must be true:

You have a high school diploma or GED.
Associates and bachelor’s degree holders are welcome.
You do not have a graduate degree and are not currently enrolled in a graduate program
You are a resident of the U.S. and authorized to work in the U.S.
- DACA and Temporary Residents must have a status/visa that does not expire within six months of the Immersion start date.
- Residents of U.S. territories are eligible for our program.
You are 18 years of age or older.
You will be seeking full-time employment upon completion of the program.

What does a typical week look like at Merit America?

Merit America programs are flexible to fit into your busy schedule. For the Workplace AI Essentials program, plan to spend about 8-9 hours per week in a blended learning environment. This includes 3-5 hours of self-paced online coursework through Coursera, hands-on practice activities, and building your personalized capstone project. You will also develop your skills with the help of a dedicated career coach during two scheduled 1:1 sessions (Week 2 and Week 5), and connect with your peers in weekly live virtual workshops.

Most of the content is asynchronous, meaning the coursework and discussion boards can be completed whenever you have free time. Your main scheduled commitments are the weekly live workshops, which are designed to accommodate working adults

What kind of support will I receive during the course?

When you join Merit America, there’s a team dedicated to your success.

Your program career coach helps you build the professional and job search skills you need to succeed in today’s market—from refining your resume and preparing for interviews to networking effectively and navigating job offers. They’ll also work with you to chart a clear career path aligned with your goals.

Your squad is made of a talented people just like you, and you’ll work alongside them to complete coursework and develop projects.

Your technical advisor is available to direct you to appropriate resources if you’re struggling with your Google IT Support certificate coursework.

Your alumni career coach provides continued support after you complete the program—including help identifying opportunities that match your goals, refining applications, and preparing for interviews.

Can you guarantee me a job?

We can’t guarantee job placement or salaries, but we do provide you with a structured training curriculum, professional career development, and dedicated job searcht support. Because of this, the majority of job-seeking alumni are placed in new jobs within three months of completion.

But we can guarantee you won’t have to pay if you still don’t earn at least $40k within two years of completing the Immersion phase of your program, as defined in our Merit America Guarantee.

What does the Workplace AI Essentials program cover?

Merit America’s AI Essentials program helps you build practical, job-ready AI skills you can use immediately at work—no technical background required. The focus is on real-world application, not theory.

Across six weeks, you’ll learn how to:

Understand how AI works—its strengths, limitations, and responsible use
Write effective prompts to get accurate, useful outputs
Use AI tools for everyday work, like drafting emails, summarizing documents, and organizing information
Build repeatable workflows that save time and reduce manual effort
Evaluate AI outputs for accuracy, bias, and appropriate use

You’ll put your skills into practice through weekly, hands-on assignments and finish with a portfolio-ready project that shows how you used AI to improve a real task or workflow. Upon completion, you’ll earn a digital Workplace AI Essentials Certificate of Completion reflects your AI literacy and applied, job-relevant skills.

View syllabus here