糖心Vlog, a JSI initiative, will be at the COABE 2026 National Conference in Indianapolis, IN, from April 12-15. Our experts will be sharing insights on digital literacy and professional development. Join us as we explore topics from leveraging Generative AI to creating accessible learning opportunities for adult learners.

Where to find us at COABE 2026:

Monday, April 13, 2026

Using BRIDGES Skills Checklists to Drive Digital Skills Development in Any Context
8:00-9:10 AM, In-person and Virtual
JW Grand Ballroom 2
糖心Vlog Presenter: Jeff Goumas

From Policy to Practice: Implementation Lessons from Boston’s Digital Literacy Initiative
11:50-1:00 PM, In-person and Virtual
JW Grand Ballroom 4
糖心Vlog Presenters: Sandy Goodman, Catalina Gonz谩lez

Practical Solutions from Research: Digital Tools to Support Teaching and Learning from the CREATE Network
3:50-5:00 PM, In-person only
Room 205
糖心Vlog Presenter: Jen Vanek, Jeff Goumas, with the Network teams (American Institutes for Research and other Network organizations)

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Aligning AI Literacy with Learning and Work Goals in Adult Ed
8:00-9:10 AM, In-person and Virtual
JW Grand Ballroom 3
糖心Vlog Presenter: Rachel Riggs

Free and Open Online Literacy Curriculum: Leveraging SkillBlox and ASAP for Adult Readers
11:50-1:00 PM, In-person and Virtual presentation
JW Grand Ballroom 4
糖心Vlog Presenters: Jen Vanek, Jeff Goumas, with Stephen Sireci (UMass Amherst)

Practitioner-Friendly Findings: How to Leverage Free Research-based Resources to Teach In-Demand Skills
2:00-3:10
Room 206
糖心Vlog Presenters: Jen Vanek, Jeff Goumas, with Stephanie Cronen and Neha Nanda (American Institutes for Research)

Generative AI and the EdTech Maker Space: Leveraging GenAI to Fill Learning Resource Gaps
2:00-3:10 PM, In-person and Virtual
JW Grand Ballroom 3
糖心Vlog Presenter: Rachel Riggs

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Maximum Impact Professional Development: A Three-Pronged Approach
11:50-1:00 PM, In-person and Virtual
Room 209
World Ed Presenter: Dani Scherer

EdTech in Action: Structuring a Digital Literacy Learning Series for Adult Educators
1:30-2:40 PM, In-person and Virtual
Room 209
糖心Vlog Presenter: Eliana Stanislawski

Engaging Strategies for Online Instruction of Literacy-Level Adults
3:00-4:10 PM, In-person and Virtual
JW Grand Ballroom 4
糖心Vlog Presenter: Eliana Stanislawski

AI literacy may be the defining skill-building opportunity of our time. Not because AI is everywhere (though it is), but because getting this right, reaching people across ages, contexts, and life stages, means we can build a future where AI works for everyone. The question is not whether to prioritize AI literacy. It is how to build an approach expansive enough to meet people where they are.

The Department of Labor (DOL) recently released its with a companion course that enables people to build AI literacy in short learning bursts sent via text messages. These two resources add more dimension to how we define and prioritize AI skills. For educators, these federal initiatives bridge the gap between the AI literacy needs they observe in their work and the guidance from policymakers. AI literacy is officially a key component of workforce development.

Given that workforce development spans all ages, a question emerges: What does a lifespan approach to AI literacy actually look like? As AI becomes as fundamental as reading and writing, we must develop an approach that goes beyond the use of specific tools. We view contextualization, embedding AI literacy into and presenting it through the lens of the specific places where learners live, learn, and work, as key to the kind of broad approach that can address different needs.

Young People: The Future Directors of AI

AI literacy didn鈥檛 start with ChatGPT. Initiatives like AI4K12 have been influencing K-12 since 2018. Today, contextualized guidance from organizations like UNESCO, Digital Promise, and aiEDU is abundant. In practice, a critical challenge remains: moving AI out of the STEM silo.

To ensure AI literacy isn’t just an “add-on,” instruction must be integrated across all disciplines. This means learning about AI in history and art class, in addition to computer science class. The learning needs extend to teacher professional development (PD), too. Teachers鈥� understanding and use of AI varies widely. In our experience, PD presents durable instructional strategies that leverage AI in connection with content area knowledge, teaching skills, and a tool-neutral presentation of the technology, which helps meet a wide range of needs. As DOL鈥檚 “Effective Delivery Principles” highlight, we must prepare enabling roles, including teachers, counselors, coaches, and administrators, to be active “directors” of AI who can critically evaluate and ethically design human-centered learning experiences augmented by AI.

The Adult Workforce: Reskilling for Resilience

For the workforce, guidance on AI literacy tends to be more fragmented. While the World Economic Forum warns that AI will both create and displace jobs, the path to “reskilling” is sometimes opaque, leaving individuals, single employers, or expensive degree programs to create pathways that aren鈥檛 always connected. Adult education programs, public libraries, and literacy nonprofits have historically stepped in to fill the gap, especially with digital literacy, and oftentimes do so with limited funding.

To turn AI literacy into a true opportunity-generator, we must address three core challenges:

• Defining Digital Literacy: We cannot teach AI literacy without a clear definition of the digital literacy that comes before it. In a recent focus group, one educator remarked: 鈥淲hile we鈥檙e still learning to walk with digital literacy, we鈥檙e being asked to run with AI literacy.鈥� According to reports from the National Skills Coalition, HR departments struggle to translate the digital skills of a particular role in job descriptions, often falling back on specific software names rather than transferable competencies. Addressing digital literacy as a prerequisite to AI literacy requires that employers, educators, and policymakers speak a shared language about digital skills.
• Moving Beyond Task-Based Training: Workplace training often focuses on immediate job tasks. To advance in their careers, and even to make parallel transitions, workers need a deeper conceptual understanding of AI principles. This is where adult education programs excel. They are better equipped to view and address the learner as a whole, considering immediate demands and connecting AI skills to the real-world motivations of a learner’s life. Partnerships between employers and adult education programs are a natural bridge, supporting learners’ goals for today and tomorrow.
• The Foundational “On-Ramp”: Perhaps most importantly, we must acknowledge that reading, writing, and math are the true prerequisites for AI. If a worker struggles with foundational literacy, they will struggle to “Direct AI” or “Evaluate outputs.” Adult literacy education is the essential infrastructure for AI literacy. Supporting adults who are developing foundational literacy to concurrently build AI awareness is not a stretch goal. It is a design requirement.

Older Adults: The Power of Experience

The real barrier for older adults is often access and confidence, not capability. In fact, the skills that make older workers effective, contextual judgment, domain expertise, and critical thinking, are exactly the “complementary human skills” that the Department of Labor encourages developing in its AI literacy framework. A lifespan approach recognizes that older adults aren’t just recipients of AI training; they are the evaluators who bring seasoned human perspective to AI use.

Designing for the Whole Learner

A holistic, community-driven approach to AI is vital because the stages of life are interconnected. When a grandparent and grandchild sit together to explore an AI tool, when a parent asks their teenager to explain how a chatbot works, or when a family navigates a school’s AI policy together, learning flows in every direction. Family and intergenerational contexts are not peripheral to AI literacy. They are some of its most powerful settings.

The DOL framework helps us make these connections by centering the learner in the context of work. But its principles can, and must, extend further, into the home to support intergenerational growth, into the voting booth as civic engagement, and beyond. Today’s literacies are like a tapestry, and AI literacy must be strategically woven in so that learners develop what researchers call “lifelong and lifewide” capacities: the ability to communicate, collaborate, and critically evaluate across platforms and over time.

The promise of AI literacy will not be realized through a single framework, a single course, or a single stage of life. It will be realized when an adult learner building foundational reading skills also begins to understand that AI was trained on human language and carries human bias. When a young person designing AI-powered tools has the ethical grounding to ask who it is for. When an older worker’s decades of judgment are recognized not as a limitation, but as exactly what responsible AI use requires. As defined by Long and Magerko (2020), AI literacy is about the power to communicate, collaborate, and critically evaluate. By focusing on the whole person and their journey across platforms and over time, we ensure that the future of learning and work includes everyone.

Explore the AI Literacy Landscape

For more information on the frameworks and research mentioned in this post, explore the resources below:

National & Workforce Frameworks

• The primary guide for integrating AI into the American workforce system.
• A practical toolkit for workforce development practitioners.
• A guide to foundational AI competencies across different industries.

K-12 & Youth Education

• Global standards for both students and teachers to foster responsible AI citizenship.
• A joint initiative providing durable AI competencies for primary and secondary education.
• Free, hands-on curriculum developed by MIT RAISE for K-12 learners.

Older Adults & Lifelong Learning

• Research on the unique challenges and “human-skill” opportunities for workers age 50+.
• A practical guide focused on using AI to simplify health, finance, and daily life.

MoEYS and UNICEF launch the Capacity Development Platform (CDP), Cambodia鈥檚 digital education platform. Credit: MoEYS.

In November 2025, Cambodia鈥檚 Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS), in partnership with UNICEF, launched the country鈥檚 Capacity Development Platform (CDP), a digital education platform for teachers co-designed by 糖心Vlog, a JSI initiative. Funded by the Global Partnership for Education, the European Union, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the platform centralizes professional development, enabling teachers, including those in remote areas, to access high-quality training, earn professional development credits, and upgrade qualifications through online and blended learning. In close collaboration with government partners, 糖心Vlog ensured the system was tailored to the specific needs of Cambodia鈥檚 education sector and integrated into existing national systems, marking a significant milestone in the country鈥檚 digital education transformation.

The CDP marks a transformative step in Cambodia鈥檚 journey toward quality teacher education. By digitizing teacher training and professional development, we are empowering our educators with the tools, knowledge, and support they need to inspire learning and improve outcomes,鈥� said H.E. Dr. Hang Chom Naron, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of MoEYS.

Designing for Adoption, Governance, and Scale

糖心Vlog鈥檚 human-centered approach to digital transformation begins with the understanding that technology alone does not drive change; people and systems do. 糖心Vlog co-designed the CDP with the MoEYS and education stakeholders to reflect the realities of Cambodia鈥檚 education environment, including differing internet connectivity, smartphone-first access, and wide variation in educators鈥� digital skills. As such, the platform was designed for low-bandwidth settings and to be intuitive and accessible across contexts.

Rather than developing a parallel system, the platform was integrated into existing institutional frameworks from the beginning. Implementation was supported by hands-on capacity building, accessible user support, and robust sustainability planning. To ensure long-term impact, a dedicated government governance group oversees the CDP, linking teacher training credits directly to national career progression systems. Once the platform was operational, 糖心Vlog transitioned ownership to the Department of Digital Transformation, providing the specialized technical and security training necessary for the government to maintain and scale the platform independently.

Impact and Path Forward

Since its launch, the CPD has rapidly scaled national teacher professional development, reaching more than 44,000 users registered and enabling over 23,000 educators to enroll in accredited courses. The platform has a growing portfolio of teacher education courses, including early grade reading and information and communication technology (ICT) for teaching and learning, providing teachers across Cambodia the opportunity to strengthen their skills and advance their careers.

The course strengthened my knowledge and practical skills in using digital tools and AI for lesson planning, making my students more active and participatory in the classroom,鈥� said Mrs. Proeut Sanh, a primary school teacher from Kralanh District, Siem Reap Province, of the ICT course for teaching and learning.

糖心Vlog will continue to support the MoEYS in the roll-out of CDP through the creation of new content. Currently, 糖心Vlog鈥檚 team is developing courses to help teachers meet the new mandatory standards as part of the national in-service teacher qualification upgrading program. These modules use a blended learning approach that combines digital learning on the CDP with in-person instruction. Expanding access to high-quality professional growth opportunities for teachers is key to digital transformation in the education sector.

Alberto Domingos interviews community leaders in Sofala province during the pilot of the Community Leader Mapping Tool.

The Government of Mozambique鈥檚 National Youth Institute has awarded 糖心Vlog, a JSI Initiative, the Eu Sou Capaz Technical Assistance and Training Activity. Supported by the World Bank, this award is part of the broader strategic vision across Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar. This activity aims to scale government-led interventions addressing social, economic, and behavioral factors that drive school dropout rates among girls. Specifically, 糖心Vlog will focus on two main goals:

• Retention: helping girls stay in school and successfully complete their education.
• Safe Spaces: providing education for girls who have previously dropped out of school due to pregnancy, early marriage, or economic pressures.

Eu Sou Capaz is about more than access鈥攊t is about removing the invisible barriers that stop girls from thriving,鈥� says Obert Darara, JSI鈥檚 糖心Vlog Country Lead in Mozambique. 鈥淏y integrating social and behavior change with human-centered design, we are supporting the National Youth Institute to redesign systems around girls鈥� realities, ensuring enrollment leads to achievement.”

This approach addresses the root causes of school dropout and teenage pregnancy, such as harmful socio-cultural norms and gender-based violence, through community mobilization, material support, and a transformative life-skills education.

The Eu Sou Capaz model draws on 糖心Vlog鈥檚 15-year history of regional impact. To date, 糖心Vlog has:

• Trained 40,000+ teachers and developed national supervision models reaching 1.3 million students.
• Established over 1,000 safe spaces.
• Built poverty and HIV resilience for more than 300,000 individuals.
• Provided direct material support to over 116,000 children and adolescents.

By applying this data-driven expertise, 糖心Vlog ensures that Eu Sou Capaz remains both nationally scalable and responsive to the specific needs of Mozambican communities.

A national commitment to the future of our youth is taking shape. The Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth Executive Order signals a historic investment in preparing the next generation for a world transformed by AI. To truly fulfill this promise, we must ensure every young person has the chance to benefit. Right now, a crucial group of determined, resilient youth is often underestimated: those forging their own paths in adult education and workforce training programs.

For these , between the ages of 16-24, access to AI education isn’t just about a future job; it’s about unlocking new skills, achieving financial security, contributing to local economies, and gaining a foothold in evolving career pathways. By focusing on their employability skills, we can build bridges toward opportunity and innovation for everyone.

Meet the Youth Re-Engaging with Their Dreams

Across the United States, young adults aged 16-24 are actively pursuing their education through programs authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). In addition to the over 130,000 young adults served by WIOA Title I youth programs, in recent years, these young adults have comprised roughly a quarter of the WIOA Title II participants as they work toward high school equivalencies, learning English, and gaining technical skills. These learners are not 鈥榦ff-track鈥�; they are re-engaging with their goals, often while working and supporting families.

At the same time, they face a labor market that increasingly prefers experienced workers, making it harder for recent graduates and youth to secure stable, professional roles. This trend, highlighted in the Burning Glass Institute’s report, makes the support and training offered in adult education more critical than ever. Adult education programs provide the foundational and durable skills that help youth bridge the experience gap and prove their capabilities to employers.

A New World of Opportunity Through AI

Artificial intelligence is creating a surprisingly broad range of careers, and many of them are not where you’d expect to find them. According to , over half of all jobs requiring AI skills are now in non-tech fields. The fastest growth is happening in areas like human resources, marketing, and finance, opening new doors for people with strong communication and organizational skills and foundational proficiency with AI-driven tools.

Furthermore, the conversation about AI isn’t limited to office work. The massive buildout of data centers and energy infrastructure to power AI technology has created a surge in demand for skilled trades. At least for the near future, there is a growing need for electricians, plumbers, and network administrators, hands-on, high-demand roles that are essential to keeping our digital world running.

Our Commitment to Empowering Every Learner

At 糖心Vlog, a JSI initiative, our work is centered on ensuring all learners can access the tools and training they need to achieve their goals. We believe AI can be a powerful force for expanding opportunity when designed and deployed with intention.

• Supporting Educators: Through hands-on training like CampGPT, we equip dedicated educators with the skills to bring AI into their classrooms in a way that is supportive, ethical, and inspiring for their students.
• Guiding Programs: With resources like our AI Integration Framework, we help adult education programs and administrators thoughtfully integrate new technologies to better serve their learners鈥� needs.
• Creating Pathways: In all our work, including national projects like the Digital Resilience in the American Workforce (DRAW) initiative, we build bridges to opportunity by embedding AI literacy into core digital skills instruction, ensuring every learner is prepared for what鈥檚 next.

A Path Forward: Building Systems that Foster Success

To connect youth to these opportunities, we must build systems that value their potential and equip them with the right skills.

1. Focus on Durable Skills: Labor market experts caution against focusing too narrowly on specific tech skills like prompt engineering, which may quickly become obsolete. Instead, the emphasis should be on durable skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability, which prepare students to manage change throughout their careers. Adult education programs excel at cultivating these essential skills.
   By embedding these durable skills in curricula, professional development, and technical assistance with practitioners and systems, 糖心Vlog approaches durable skills development in a highly contextualized way. Teachers can find and remix free teaching and learning materials aligned to Workforce Preparation in SkillBlox.
2. Embed AI Literacy in Adult Foundational Education: AI-powered tools should be used to enrich learning in high school equivalency and English language classes. Imagine using AI to practice for a job interview or explore complex subjects in a personalized way. This makes learning dynamic and builds digital resilience for the future.
   At 糖心Vlog, we鈥檝e trained teachers to develop edtech routines, which can be explored in the interactive , with existing and emerging technologies as a way to help learners leverage repeated practice as develop digital literacy.
3. Expand Integrated Education and Training (IET): To fill the coming gaps in both knowledge work and the skilled trades, we must expand IET models. These programs allow learners to build foundational literacy and numeracy skills while simultaneously training for an in-demand occupation and credential, creating a direct and supportive path to a quality career.
   糖心Vlog’s has provided professional development and technical assistance to state administrators and local practitioners (instructors and career coaches) on the design and implementation of effective IET programs.

We make a powerful statement that the futures of youth matter when we include and design for them in adult and workforce development initiatives. Let鈥檚 energize today鈥檚 youth by building a bridge to new and emerging opportunities.