AI Skills Launchpad

Upskilling Workshops | Feb-Mar 2026

AI Skills Launchpad

Upskilling Workshops | Feb-Mar 2026

techNL’s AI Skills Launchpad is a new upskilling program designed to elevate the tech workforce in Newfoundland and Labrador. Developed and delivered by leading industry experts, and approved by top local tech companies, the AI Skills Launchpad is offering four applied learning workshops covering the most in-demand skills: Data Science & Analytics, Data Engineering, SaaS Sales, and Cybersecurity. This is an opportunity for workers to turn AI’s rapid growth into a career opportunity, and for tech companies to upskill their workforce at a low cost.

Eligible learners can apply for one of four workshops, each delivered virtually over the course of 8 weeks. The program is funded by Upskill Canada, powered by Palette Skills, and supported by the Government of Canada.

Whether you’re:

  • Already employed in tech
  • A mid-career learner outside of tech, ready to upskill
  • A job seeker looking to break into tech

you’ll have access to the latest AI training the sector has to offer. techNL is especially interested in receiving applications from equity-priority groups, including women, newcomers, racialized individuals, and persons with disabilities. Eligibility is limited to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Benefits for companies

  •  Valuable upskilling for your workforce
  • Workshops are tailor-made for NL’s tech sector
  • Cost is 96% subsidized — only $200+hst per workshop
  • Access to training from industry experts

Benefits for participants

  •  World-class training from industry experts
  • Applied case-based learning
  • Curriculum validated by local industry
  • Be part of a transformative cohort of learners
  • Low cost of $200+HST per workshop (a $5,000 value) with 60 fully-funded seats for mid-career learners looking to enter the tech sector

Eligibility Requirements

NL Tech Worker Learners

1. Readiness Requirements

Applicants must be able and willing to:

  • Participate in 8 weeks of synchronous online training (24 hours total)
  • Be available on weekday evenings or Saturday mornings
  • Have their employer agree to cover a $200 (+tax) per learner entry fee, or be personally willing to pay this fee
  • Complete all:
    • Course work
    • Group assignments
    • Assessments
  • Take part in employer-led case studies and project components
  • Complete follow-up surveys up to October 2026

2. Learner Profiles

For employees of tech companies within Newfoundland and Labrador’s tech sector, eligibility will be guided by the following learner profiles. These examples are not exhaustive, and applicants outside of these archetypes will still be considered for admission.

AI for Data Science and Analytics

  • Relevant job titles: Software Developer, Data Analyst, Business Analyst
  • Relevant skills: Data Visualization, Statistics and Data Analysis, Machine Learning fundamentals, Programming languages/tools such as SQL, Python, Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, etc.

AI for Data Engineering

  • Relevant job titles: Software Developer, Data Engineer, AI Engineer, Database Manager
  • Relevant skills: Programming languages/tools such as SQL, Python, Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, etc.

AI for Cybersecurity

  • Relevant job titles: Software Developer, Cybersecurity Specialist, Cybersecurity Analyst, Systems Security Analyst, Cloud Architect
  • Relevant skills: Cybersecurity policy and risk management, Software testing and secure development practices, Cloud computing and infrastructure securit, Information systems and network security

SaaS Sales in the Age of AI

  • Relevant job titles: Business Development Representative (BDR), Sales Development Representative (SDR)
  • Relevant skills: Sales and opportunity management, Customer prospecting and lead generation, Customer success and account management, CRM management, Understanding of SaaS product lifecycle and customer engagement
Career Transitioner Learners

1. Work Experience

Applicants must have:

  • At least 3 years of cumulative work and/or volunteer experience:
    • Experience can be inside or outside Canada
    • Experience does not need to be consecutive
    • Experience must be outside of full or part-time studies (High School or Post-Secondary)
  • Work experience may be:
    • Paid or unpaid (volunteer)
    • Full-time (30+ hours/week) or part-time (less than 30 hours/week)

2. Career Stage (Mid-Career Status)

Applicants should be working adults who are:

  • Currently not employed in tech, clean tech, or advanced manufacturing, but want to transition into these sectors,

OR

  • Already working in these sectors but are under-employed and seeking:
    • Role expansion
    • Promotion opportunities
    • AI-focused upskilling

3. Technical Background

For all streams except SaaS Sales in the Age of AI, applicants must have a technical learning foundation, such as:

  • Software Development fundamentals

OR

  • Equivalent technical coursework, training, or experience

4. Readiness & Commitment

Applicants must be able and willing to:

  • Participate in 8 weeks of synchronous online training (24 hours total)
  • Be available on weekday evenings or Saturday mornings
  • Attend all weekly sessions and turn on their webcam
  • Complete all:
    • Course work
    • Group assignments
    • Assessments
  • Take part in employer-led case studies and project components
  • Complete follow-up surveys unti October 2026

5. Technical Requirements (Equipment)

Applicants must have access to:

  • A computer or laptop with at least 16GB of RAM
  • A reliable internet connection suitable for video calls
  • A webcam and microphone to participate fully in online sessions

6. Legal Eligibility to Work in Canada

Applicants must:

  • Be legally eligible to work in Canada
  • If on a work permit, have at least one year remaining on their permit after the program start date (February 2, 2026)

Need any more prompts? Apply now for one of the four workshops below! Deadline for applications: January 29, 2026

NL Tech Worker Application

*Individuals working within NL’s tech sector*

Apply now

Career Transitioner Application

*Individuals looking to transition into NL’s tech sector*

Apply now

Workshops

AI for Cybersecurity

Feb–Mar 2026 / 24 hours over 8 weeks

Through practical labs, you’ll learn how to protect and strengthen AI applications by spotting and fixing critical vulnerabilities—from prompt injection to insecure tool integration—using the OWASP Top 10 for LLMs.

You’ll also discover how to leverage AI as a security co-pilot for automating code reviews and speeding up incident response, finishing with a capstone project where you’ll harden a full AI application.

Basic Requirements:

  • 1+ years of experience coding
  • Docker, Python, HTTP and SQL knowledge is an asset
Instructor: Julian Eckhardt
Read bio
A security professional with over 10 years of experience helping private public and non-profit organizations build secure scalable and maintainable solutions.

Course outline

SaaS Sales in the Age of AI

Feb–Mar 2026 / 24 hours over 8 weeks

Learn how to leverage AI to improve every stage of the sales process. You’ll understand how to accelerate sales by finding high-value leads, personalizing outreach, optimizing customer engagement, and streamlining CRM workflows. Skills you’ll build include sales, prospecting, customer success, CRM management, SaaS product lifecycle, and customer engagement.

Instructor (Cohort A) : Jordan Seward
Read bio
Jordan Seward is a Newfoundland-born enterprise sales leader at Spellbook, a fast-growing legal technology company based in St. John’s. After completing law school and practicing as a lawyer, he made a deliberate pivot into tech sales, where he quickly found his stride. Over the course of his career, Jordan has worked across junior and senior sales roles, held leadership positions, and been actively involved in hiring and team development.

Instructor (Cohort B) : Christina Fong
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tech sales leader with a background in mechanical engineering who pivoted from oil and gas into the technology industry. After returning to Memorial University of Newfoundland to complete her MBA, she joined CoLab Software as a Business Development Intern and early team member, later transitioning to their first customer success hire, and then into business development where she grew from an individual contributor into leadership. Today, Christina serves as Business Development Manager at CoLab Software, an AI-powered engineering design and review platform. She specializes in building and scaling the top of the SaaS sales funnel, leading outbound strategy, and applying AI tools to improve prospecting, workflow efficiency, and sales productivity. Christina helped lead CoLab’s business development organization through multiple stages of growth and is deeply passionate about coaching and mentoring early-career professionals as they enter and grow in tech sales

Course outline

AI for Data Engineering

Feb–Mar 2026 / 24 hours over 8 weeks

Experience a hands-on introduction to building robust data systems on AWS. You’ll learn the essentials—ETL/ELT, batch and streaming, and creating data pipelines for AI/ML—while working directly with tools like S3, Glue, Lambda, Athena, Redshift, EMR, RDS, DynamoDB, and more.

Basic Requirements:

  • Programming skills in Python (basic to advanced)
  • Experience using libraries like NumPy, Pandas and Matplotlib
Instructor: Ruben Chevez
Read bio
Director of Machine Learning Infrastructure and Deployment with expertise in Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), cloud infrastructure, and scalable ML systems.

Course outline

AI for Data Science & Analytics

Feb–Mar 2026 / 24 hours over 8 weeks

Learn how to build powerful agents that can handle data science and business analytics tasks with ease. You’ll work with state-of-the-art tools, learn how to run evals to continually improve your agents, and gain a clear understanding of what today’s AI can achieve, saving you weeks of trial and error.

Basic Requirements:

  • Familiarity with code and data analysis concepts
Instructor: Hai Nghiem
Read bio
Hai co-founded AGI Ventures Canada works as AI advisor at Invest Ottawa invests in AI startups and build open-source projects. He’s a contributor and ambassador for LangChain. He also teaches agent engineering on Maven to engineers PMs and execs at companies like AT&T Instacart Dell.

Course outline

Schedule

Monday
SaaS Sales in the Age of AI (Cohort A) - 6PM-9PM
Wednesday
SaaS Sales in the Age of AI (Cohort B) - 6PM-9PM
Thursday
AI for Cybersecurity (Cohort A) - 6PM-9PM AI for Data Engineering (Cohort A) - 6PM-9PM AI for Data Science & Analytics (Cohort A) - 6:30PM-9:30PM
Saturday
AI for Data Engineering (Cohort B) - 9AM-12PM AI for Cybersecurity (Cohort B) - 12PM-3PM AI for Data Science & Analytics (Cohort B) - TBD

This program is funded by Upskill Canada, powered by Palette Skills, and the Government of Canada.

 

Get in touch

If you have questions or wish to learn more about techNL’s AI Skills Launchpad, don’t hesitate to reach out.