TL;DR

Google said on Monday 5 October that its Google AI Educator Series, which costs nothing to join, is now open to educators across the UK and Ireland, a group it numbers at 650,000. The training is delivered through events led by teachers and earns micro-credentials. Google has also worked with the National Governance Association on an AI Policy Toolkit for school governors and trustees.

What teachers get

The series began in the US, where Google says it was made available to 6 million educators, before reaching India and Korea. Sessions run online and in person, are led by teachers, and use short modules that Google describes as written by educators for their peers. The stated aims are practical: planning lessons, cutting admin, adapting material for pupils with different needs, and guiding students’ use of AI safely. Completed modules earn micro-credentials and badges.

Teachers can sign up for upcoming events through Google for Education’s Gemini Roadshow.

The toolkit for governors

The second element is aimed at school leadership rather than classrooms. The AI Policy Toolkit, developed with the NGA, is meant to help governors and trustees adopt AI policies, tools and training safely. In our view, that is the more useful piece for many schools: deciding what staff may use, and on what terms, is a governance question before it is a training one.

How Google frames the UK case

Google cites analysis by Public First finding that AI could enhance almost three-quarters (74%) of education roles. It also quotes the AI Works for Britain report: “15% of the UK is already saving time with this technology”.

Google says teachers on the course will count towards a government ambition to reach 10 million workers by 2030, which it describes as a “digital skills” goal. The government’s own announcement frames that target more narrowly, as workplace AI skills delivered through its AI Skills Boost programme, and lists Google among the programme’s founding partners. Google does not say how many of the 650,000 it expects to take part.

Looking forward

In our view, free training from one supplier is still training in that supplier’s tools, and sign-ups for Google’s sessions run through its Gemini Roadshow. For UK schools and multi-academy trusts, the sensible order is to settle an AI policy first, using the governors’ toolkit or an alternative, and then choose which training fits it. The figure to watch is take-up, since Google has given a reach but not a participation target.