Salesforce has announced a $750,000 grant to the National College of Ireland (NCI) to expand access to artificial intelligence education and career pathways for young people.
The announcement coincides with the International AI Summit in Dublin, which is bringing together policymakers, business leaders and technology specialists to discuss the development and governance of AI.
The funding will support AI Futures, a free, one-year on-campus programme at NCI designed to help 225 young people develop AI skills and access pathways into apprenticeships, further education and employment. A further 500 NCI students and alumni will participate in AI ethics awareness sessions.
Prof Emma Stokes, president of NCI, said: “The future opportunities created by AI should be within reach of every young person, regardless of their background or circumstances. That is especially true for those who have left education early.”
She added: “Through AI Futures, we are helping young people build AI skills and explore career pathways. Salesforce’s investment will help us reach more learners and create new opportunities for them to benefit from the AI economy.”
Alongside the grant, Salesforce is launching Future Trailblazers in Ireland, an employee volunteering initiative that will bring the company’s staff into primary and post-primary classrooms to introduce students to AI and how people can work alongside AI agents.
The initiative follows a pilot with Transition Year students in Dublin. It builds on Salesforce’s $1 million commitment with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to introduce a free computer science curriculum in Ireland, with a focus on expanding access to computing education in socio-economically disadvantaged schools.
Michael Lohan, chief executive of IDA Ireland, said access to skilled talent remained central to the country’s ability to attract foreign direct investment.
“Enabling skills development through initiatives such as this will be critical to maintaining Ireland’s competitiveness and supporting the next generation of investment and jobs,” Lohan said.
Salesforce opened its first Dublin office in 2000 and has operated in Ireland for more than 25 years.
The company said it had contributed more than $10.5 million to initiatives supporting education, communities and opportunity across the country, while its employees had volunteered more than 405,000 hours.
Nadja D’Arcy, country leader at Salesforce Ireland, said investment in talent, ethical understanding and digital inclusion needed to keep pace with investment in technology infrastructure as AI adoption accelerated.
The company said the initiatives were intended to widen access to AI education and help prepare young people for changing career requirements as AI systems become more widely used.
Patryk Goron
Ltd
