AI Skills Lab Canada
A Women-Led AI Upskilling Initiative
Proudly presented by
AI Skills Lab Canada
A Women-Led AI Upskilling Initiative
Proudly presented by
Organizations using AI are growing faster, doing more, and having a greater impact.
From cautious curiosity to successful implementation, our two special programs cater to the different needs of early stage and growth-stage entrepreneurs.
Women, trans-femmes, and non-binary founders can now access fully funded practical case-study-based training on AI programs with 1:1 implementation, coaching, and a community of experts.
Everything you need to learn, grow, and succeed with AI.
AI Skills Lab Canada is split into two programs:
Early AI Adoption Lab
This fully-funded 6-week live program, led by Camp Tech, equips early-stage entrepreneurs with practical AI skills. No tech jargon, no complex theories – just clear, actionable strategies you can put in place right away.
Who this is for:
The Early AI Adoption Lab is for self-identifying women, trans-femme, and non-binary founders of startups and small businesses who are in the early stages of building their businesses, with:
- under $1 million in annual revenue and;
- 1-10 employees.
What’s included:
- Live demonstrations of tools
- Hands-on practice time
- Real-world examples from micro businesses
- Action items to implement between sessions
- Playbook development work
- Peer groups, 1:1 coaching, and industry experts
AI Strategy & Operations Lab
This fully-funded 6-week online program, led by Growclass, is built for growth-stage entrepreneurs who want to use AI in a way that feels practical, ethical, and aligned with their business goals.
Who this is for:
The AI Strategy & Operations Lab is designed for women, trans-femme, and non-binary founders in the growth stage of building their business, and looking to scale. Eligible businesses should have:
- over $500,000 in annual revenue and;
- 1-499 employees.
What’s included:
- Live demonstrations of tools
- Hands-on practice time
- Real-world examples from micro businesses
- On-demand classes to take on your own time with live guest instructors and case studies
- Peer groups, 1:1 coaching, and industry experts
- Your personalized tech stack for AI integration
| Early AI Adoption Lab | AI Strategy & Operations Lab | |
|---|---|---|
| 6-weeks | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cohort based | ✔ | ✔ |
| 1-10 employees | ✔ | ✔ |
| 10-499 employees | ✘ | ✔ |
| In-person | ✔ | ✘ |
| Pre-revenue | ✔ | ✘ |
| On-demand & virtual | ✘ | ✔ |
| 1:1 coaching | ✔ | ✔ |
| Community | ✔ | ✔ |
You are eligible to register if you are:
A self-identifying woman, non-binary, or trans-femme majority or equal stakeholder, (co-)founder, or (co-)owner actively leading a business operating in Canada;
An employee in line to lead the business who is currently a key decision-maker
A woman manager or staff member who is a key decision maker in an Indigenous band- or community-owned business.
The Early AI Adoption Lab is designed for founders of startups and small businesses who are in the early stages of building their businesses, with under $1 million in annual revenue and 1-10 employees.
The AI Strategy & Operations Lab is for founders who have established businesses and are scaling. The company should have over $500,000 in annual revenue and 1-499 employees.
Have questions about your eligibility? Email programs@theforum.ca for support!
You are eligible to register if you are:
A self-identifying woman, non-binary, or trans-femme majority or equal stakeholder, (co-)founder, or (co-)owner actively leading a business operating in Canada;
An employee in line to lead the business who is currently a key decision-maker
A woman manager or staff member who is a key decision maker in an Indigenous band- or community-owned business.
The Early AI Adoption Lab is designed for founders of startups and small businesses who are in the early stages of building their businesses, with under $1 million in annual revenue and 1-10 employees.
The AI Strategy & Operations Lab is for founders who have established businesses and are scaling. The company should have over $500,000 in annual revenue and 1-499 employees.
Have questions about your eligibility? Email programs@theforum.ca for support!
Who should apply
We invite women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs to apply for this unique opportunity to connect and learn with a supportive cohort of peers in 6 weeks of live learning, both in-person and online.
No matter which program you join, you’ll be welcomed into a learning environment that supports social and emotional well-being. A place where we aim for non-judgment and curiosity, where learning is shared and space is created for you to apply new knowledge to build the company you love.
What you’ll learn
Through live demonstrations, hands-on practice time and real-world examples from micro-businesses, you’ll acquire key skills and knowledge to apply AI to your business to facilitate growth and streamline day-to-day operations. Both of our programs also highlight the ethical implications of adopting AI so that you can ensure you implement this technology responsibly and avoid any possible legal ramifications.
With guidance from expert instructors, including industry leaders in AI, you’ll develop a clear 30/60/90-day AI Adoption Playbook, ensuring you leave with an actionable, step-by-step plan tailored to your business’s specific needs and goals.
After the 6-week group training, each participant will join a dynamic community of fellow entrepreneurs and receive direct, personalized, 1:1 support from a coach with experience in AI to assist them in implementing what they’ve learned.
We invite women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs to apply for this unique opportunity to connect and learn with a supportive cohort of peers in 6 weeks of live learning, both in-person and online.
No matter which program you join, you’ll be welcomed into a learning environment that supports social and emotional well-being. A place where we aim for non-judgment and curiosity, where learning is shared and space is created for you to apply new knowledge to build the company you love.
Through live demonstrations, hands-on practice time and real-world examples from micro-businesses, you’ll acquire key skills and knowledge to apply AI to your business to facilitate growth and streamline day-to-day operations. Both of our programs also highlight the ethical implications of adopting AI so that you can ensure you implement this technology responsibly and avoid any possible legal ramifications.
With guidance from expert instructors, including industry leaders in AI, you’ll develop a clear 30/60/90-day AI Adoption Playbook, ensuring you leave with an actionable, step-by-step plan tailored to your business’s specific needs and goals.
After the 6-week group training, each participant will join a dynamic community of fellow entrepreneurs and receive direct, personalized, 1:1 support from a coach with experience in AI to assist them in implementing what they’ve learned.
Your AI Adoption Journey
»
Cautious curiosity
AI skills education grounded in real-world examples
Practical experimentation and building habits
Develop an AI Adoption Playbook with a 30/60/90-day implementation plan
Community support and 1:1 coaching to keep you on track
See results and grow your business
Share what you’ve learned with the AI Skills Exchange community
Your AI Adoption Journey
↡
Cautious curiosity
AI skills education grounded in real-world examples
Practical experimentation and building habits
Develop an AI Adoption Playbook with a 30/60/90-day implementation plan
Community support and 1:1 coaching to keep you on track
See results and grow your business
Share what you’ve learned with the AI Skills Exchange community
Schedule
Each program will take place over approximately 6 weeks on the dates listed below. In order to get the most out of the program, we recommend that you attend each live session, and ensure that you have an additional 1.5 hours set aside each week to complete complimentary self-guided learning.
Not finding dates that work for you?
Interested in future cohorts and additional AI learning opportunities? Add your name to our interest form here.
Keep an eye on our website to see dates for future cohorts, or sign up for our newsletter for updates.
Early AI Adoption Lab
Early AI Adoption Lab
3-hour live sessions in-person in communities across Canada. Dates and times vary across each cohort.
COHORT 1:
- Dates: Wednesdays, April 23 - May 28, 2025
- Location: Canadore College, Commerce Court Campus, North Bay, Ontario
- Applications close: April 11, 2025
COHORT 2:
- Dates/Times:
- Monday, June 2, 9:00am - 2:00pm ADT
- Monday, June 9, 9:00am - 12:00pm ADT
- Monday, June 16, 9:00am - 12:00pm ADT
- Monday, June 23, 9:00am - 12:00pm ADT
- Wednesday, June 25, 9:00am - 12:00pm ADT
- Location: Greenhouse, Dalhousie University, Kenneth Rowe Building, Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Applications close: May 16th, 2025
COHORT 3:
- Dates: September 11 - October 16, 2025
- Location: Live Virtual Sessions
- Applications close: August 29th
COHORT 4:
- Dates: October 27 - November 24, 2025
- Location: Whitehorse (in-person at Yukonstruct Society)
- Applications close: October 10th
Interested in future cohorts and additional AI learning opportunities? Add your name to our interest form here.
AI Strategy & Operations Lab
AI Strategy & Operations Lab
60min live virtual sessions and additional working sessions weekly.
COHORT 1: April 28, 2025 - June 5, 2025 (virtual)
COHORT 2: June 17 - July 24 (virtual)
COHORT 3: September 9 - October 16 (virtual)
COHORT 4: October 21 - November 7 (virtual)
You should set aside 2 hours per week for 6 weeks. Each week there will be a 60-90 minute live session, with additional time set aside for asynchronous learning and building your integration roadmap.
Live sessions take place at various times during the week, usually around 1pm EST (and are always recorded so they can be watched at a later time).
We try our best to accommodate folks in different time zones. The goal is always to group as many folks in the same time zone together as possible, and schedule sessions with time zones in mind.
Interested in future cohorts and additional AI learning opportunities? Add your name to our interest form here.
Curriculum
Early AI Adoption Lab
| Part 1: Getting Started with AI Tools Understand what AI can (and can't) do for your small business |
|
| Part 2: AI for Business Communication & Writing Learn to write faster with a consistent brand voice across platforms |
|
| Part 3: Customer Service & Engagement Set up AI-powered customer response systems |
|
| Part 4: Marketing Made Simple Create marketing content that converts |
|
| Part 5: Business Admin & Operations Streamline administrative tasks |
|
| Part 6: Putting It All Together Review and refine your AI workflows |
AI Strategy & Operations Lab
| Module 1*: How Does It Work? (Technicalities and Legalities) Dive deep into the technical details and legal risks of using AI |
|
| Module 2*: How Can We Use It? (Growth & Brand Engine) Get the most value out of LLMs by learning effective prompt engineering |
|
| Module 3*: Applying AI to Your Business Start seeing how it can impact every aspect of your team’s day-to-day work |
|
| Module 4*: Automation + Productivity Explore how to use AI for personal productivity to make you more effective. |
|
| *Each module has its own optional additional asynchronous classes. See our curriculum for more details. |
Meet the AI Skills Lab Canada Facilitators
Growclass is an award-winning professional marketing and AI upskilling company and community led by Canada’s top business growth experts. Growclass exists to help underrepresented folks build lucrative careers and businesses through teaching tangible, modern digital skills, and building communities of support.
Meet the AI Skills Lab Canada Advisors
Dr. Natasha Jaques
Senior Research Scientist, Google DeepMind
Helen Kontozopoulos
Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto Computer Science; Co-Founder, ODAIA; and Founder & CEO, Resiin
Xania Khan
AI Consultant and Former Head of GenAI Brand Governance - Global Marketing, eBay
Hiba Amin
AI and Content Strategist and Former Head of Content, Copy.ai
Elena Yunusov
Executive Director, Human Feedback Foundation and Former Head of Marketing, Borealis AI
Blair Attard-Frost
PhD Candidate & Lecturer, University of Toronto - Faculty of Information
Sara Norton
Owner, REPLY-ALL Automation and AI Consulting
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I apply to the program?
Organizations using AI are growing faster, doing more, and having a greater impact. But there’s a gap. Early data suggests that women are 16-20% less likely to use AI at work than men. All Canadian companies deserve practical expert education and support to integrate AI.
The AI Skills Lab Canada program gives you the technical skills and knowledge you need to effectively use AI to grow your business.
Explore how you can use AI in all aspects of your operations, from marketing to administrative tasks and more. Through real-life examples, 1:1 mentorship, and coaching from experts in AI, program graduates will leave feeling confident and informed about thoughtful AI implementation.
What will I walk away with?
By the time you complete the program, you will:
- Have the clarity, confidence, and capabilities you need to boost your business success through AI
- Have taken part in a virtual learning cohort that supports your social and emotional well-being
- Have been given the space to be curious, apply new thinking to your business, and form a deeper connection with it
- Be better positioned to build a company you love that meets both your personal and business aspirations
- Have a clear AI implementation playbook, with community support
Who is this initiative for?
AI Skills Lab Canada programs are offered for free and open to self-identifying women, trans-femme, and non-binary founders and entrepreneurs.
The Early AI Adoption Lab is perfect for self-identifying women, trans-femme, and non-binary founders of startups and small businesses who are in the early stages of building their businesses, with under $1 million in annual revenue and 1-10 employees.
The AI Strategy & Operations Lab is perfect for women, trans-femme, and non-binary founders who have established businesses and are scaling. The company should have over $500,000 in annual revenue and 1-499 employees.
Do I need strong technical knowledge?
You do not need a background in tech, or have strong technological knowledge; you just need a commitment to learn. You’ll see why once we get going!
Does this program cost anything?
No! Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, this program is free for all self-identified women, non-binary or trans-femme entrepreneurs.
How do I apply?
Applications are now open! You can submit your application anytime between March 17, 2025 - April 11 for Cohort 1 (Early AI Adoption Lab) and March 17, 2025 - April 17, 2025 (AI Strategy & Operations Lab).
How is this program delivered?
This program is delivered in English. Sessions will be live online and in-person for the Early AI Adoption Lab, and fully online (but still live) for the AI Strategy & Operations Lab.
What is the time commitment for this program?
For the Early AI Adoption Lab, there will be a 3-hour, in-person workshop once a week for 6 weeks.
The AI Strategy & Operations Lab consists of weekly live sessions and self-directed individual learning. Each live session is 1 hour; self-directed learning is about 1.5 hours per week.
What do I need to bring to this program?
For this program, you’ll need:
- Access to Zoom
- A laptop
- A growth mindset and a commitment to learn and grow
How many women will be accepted into the program?
This program is open to 35-45 entrepreneurs (per cohort) for the Early AI Adoption Lab, and 25 entrepreneurs (per cohort) for the AI Strategy & Operations Lab. We recommend applying early to have a better chance of securing a place.
What types of accessibility accommodations or resources are available for the program?
If there are any concerns or requests for specific accessibility accommodations please indicate this on your application form and we will do our best to meet your needs.
For more information on The Forum AI Skill Lab Canada, please contact programs@theforum.ca.