IBM has selected four organisations across the United States, Latin America and India for a new education and workforce development programme, supporting projects that use artificial intelligence to improve skills development, career guidance and access to employment opportunities.
The organisations will receive technology grants and technical expertise through the IBM Impact Accelerator, a social innovation programme designed to help nonprofit and government organisations develop and scale technology-enabled solutions.
The 2026 cohort includes InnovateEDU, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Ramona Technologies and Udhyam Learning Foundation.
Each organisation will work with IBM to design, develop and implement a project addressing challenges associated with changing workforce requirements.
Four projects target AI skills and employment opportunities
The selected projects address different stages of education and workforce development, from teacher preparation to employment support.
InnovateEDU, through its Pathways Alliance initiative, will collaborate with IBM to develop a national AI and Digital Literacy Workforce Dashboard in the United States.
The open-source platform will use IBM watsonx to help education providers and state authorities assess how teacher preparation programmes align with emerging requirements for AI and digital literacy.
The project will initially focus on research and design before testing its tools with a small network of educator preparation institutions.
Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade will work with IBM to strengthen the state’s AI and quantum computing workforce.
The project will develop AI-enabled analytics and decision-support capabilities to inform workforce planning and economic development strategies.
It will also expand access to quantum computing resources, including IBM Qiskit, and support education initiatives aimed at developing specialist technical skills.
Ramona Technologies, a nonprofit workforce development organisation, will expand its employment support platform across Latin America.
The project will use IBM Granite AI models to analyse Spanish-language job advertisements and IBM AI Fairness 360 to help identify potential bias.
It will also introduce personalised training on employment rights, digital skills and job readiness through WhatsApp.
The initial expansion will focus on Mexico and Colombia, with further Latin American markets planned.
Udhyam Learning Foundation, based in India, will work with IBM to expand its Youth Opportunities Platform.
The initiative connects young people with scholarships, further education, apprenticeships, internships, training programmes and employment opportunities.
IBM’s AI technologies will support personalised career guidance, opportunity matching and application assistance, helping students navigate the transition from secondary education into further study or employment.
Three-phase delivery model supports implementation
Each project will follow a structured three-phase delivery process under the IBM Impact Accelerator.
The first phase focuses on co-design, with IBM Consulting specialists working alongside participating organisations to define project requirements, develop solutions and establish intended outcomes.
The second phase covers development and implementation, including building and piloting technology solutions.
Participating organisations will have access to technologies such as IBM watsonx, Granite AI models, IBM Cloud and Red Hat open-source tools.
The programme also includes impact measurement during implementation.
The final phase concentrates on long-term operational sustainability, including staff training, technical documentation and transferring solutions into the participating organisations’ existing IT environments.
EY will provide additional capacity-building workshops and coaching.
The delivery structure is intended to help organisations move beyond initial technology development towards systems that can be maintained and expanded after IBM’s direct involvement concludes.
Workforce transformation creates demand for new capabilities
IBM’s latest cohort responds to changes in employment requirements associated with artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
Research cited by IBM from the World Economic Forum indicates that more than one-third of young workers globally are employed in occupations with medium to high exposure to AI-driven changes in workplace tasks.
These developments are creating challenges for education providers, employers and public institutions responsible for workforce planning.
Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at IBM, said preparing people for changing employment opportunities would be as important as developing the technologies themselves.
“As AI shapes the future of work, our ability to prepare people for new opportunities will be just as important as the technology itself,” she said.
“The challenge is making sure people are not left to navigate this transition on their own.”
The four projects will explore different approaches to addressing these challenges, including workforce analytics, digital education, AI-supported career guidance and employment information services.
IBM Impact Accelerator expands global project portfolio
Launched in 2022, the IBM Impact Accelerator has committed up to $75 million in cash and in-kind technology and services through 2028.
Before the latest selections, the programme had supported 25 organisations working across sustainable agriculture, clean energy, water management, resilient cities and supply chains.
IBM estimates that projects from its first four cohorts could reach more than seven million people.
Its supply chain cohort remains in development and implementation, with activities continuing through 2027.
The addition of education and workforce development expands the programme’s scope into skills development and labour market transformation.
For project delivery, the new cohort introduces four technology implementation initiatives requiring collaboration between IBM specialists, public institutions and nonprofit organisations.
Each project will involve defining user requirements, developing and testing AI-enabled tools, measuring outcomes and establishing arrangements for ongoing operation.
IBM has not disclosed individual grant values or completion dates for the four projects.
The programme’s emphasis on phased implementation and operational handover reflects the wider challenge facing organisations adopting AI: ensuring that new technology can be integrated into established services and deliver measurable benefits beyond initial deployment.
