AI Ready Ohio is live, and going statewide.
JobsOhio and the Enterprise Technology Association are expanding AI Ready Ohio to fast-track workforce and economic development across the state; positioning Ohio residents, businesses, and communities for success in the AI economy. After a pilot that hit 170% of its goals, the nation's first AI Ready State program is now reaching every region of Ohio. Get AI Certified in person at an Ohio AI Week or online — preview the program and sign up now at AIReadyOhio.org.
Eight sessions, all online
AI Ready Ohio Virtual Town Hall & Training Day
One day, eight one-hour online sessions, open to every Ohioan from Toledo to Portsmouth. Every hour you attend counts toward your AI Ready Ohio certificate, and the statewide town hall at noon is open to all, no training session required. Free to attend for Ohio residents and ETA members.
- AI Basics
- AI Governance & Leadership
- Mastering Claude
- Town Hall at Noon
- Microsoft AI Tools
- AI Security
- AI Agents for Revenue
- Beyond AI Pilots
Full agenda and registration at joineta.org. Sessions are recorded, and recorded hours earn credit too.
What the expansion means.
AI Ready Ohio is expanding to fast-track workforce and economic development across the state; positioning Ohio residents, businesses, and communities for success in the AI economy. As the first "AI Ready State" initiative in the United States, it brings training and resources directly to residents, and gives other states a proven model to follow. The pilot achieved 170% of its up-skilling and certification goals after launching last November during Great Lakes AI Week.
- The statewide portal is here. Preview AIReadyOhio.org and sign up now; the full digital portal of no- and low-cost AI training, resources, and support for Ohio residents, businesses, and communities is rolling out statewide.
- Get AI Certified three ways. Earn AI credentials in person at an Ohio AI Week, at the free Virtual Town Hall and Training Day on August 26, or online through the AI Ready Ohio pathways and the ETA community portal.
- More in-person training. Expanded hands-on, certificate-eligible workshops at AI Weeks across the state — Cincy AI Week (Jun 9–11), Columbus AI Week (Sep 8–10), and Great Lakes AI Week (Nov 10–12).
- A statewide AI advisory effort. Coordinated guidance and support to help Ohio organizations move from interest to real AI implementation.
From AI ready to AI empowered.
AI Ready Ohio was built on a simple premise: closing the gap between the AI economy's growth and the readiness of Ohio's people, organizations, and communities. One year in, thousands of Ohioans have been trained; regions across the state are standing up in 2026; and a national model is taking shape. What works in Ohio can work for other states ready to empower their own workforces.
Empowered Ohioans
Nationally recognized AI credentials delivered through AI Week events and virtual pathways; open to every Ohio professional, at every career stage.
Empowered Employers
Cohort-based programs that move Ohio companies and agencies from AI pilots to measurable productivity, with structured employer partnerships built in.
Empowered Regions
Greater Cincinnati, Columbus, and Northwest Ohio's Great Lakes region; each anchored by local universities, training partners, and civic institutions delivering on the ground.
Get AI Certified in person or online.
AI Ready Ohio is live. Preview the program and sign up now at AIReadyOhio.org, then choose how you want to get AI Certified — hands-on at an Ohio AI Week, live online at the August 26 Virtual Town Hall and Training Day, or self-paced through the AI Ready Ohio pathways and ETA community portal.
Preview & Sign Up
Visit AIReadyOhio.org to preview the program and sign up. Begin online today through the ETA community portal with self-paced modules and live virtual masterclasses as the full statewide portal rolls out.
Town Hall & Training Day
Eight free one-hour sessions in a single day, plus a statewide town hall at noon. Open to every Ohioan, wherever you are. Register and see the agenda.
Train Across Ohio
No- and low-cost AI training, resources, and support reaching every Ohio resident, business, and community — in person at AI Weeks and online through AIReadyOhio.org.
Three regional AI Weeks. One statewide program.
Each AI Week brings thousands of Ohio professionals together for three days of keynotes, workshops, and certificate-eligible training; embedded directly in the regional economies they serve.
Cincy AI Week
Anchored by the Greater Cincinnati research and training ecosystem, with university and training partners delivering AI Ready Ohio cert workshops across all three days.
View event →
Columbus AI Week
Convening in Columbus at the center of Ohio's economy, with regional university and training partners delivering AI Ready Ohio cert workshops across all three days.
View event →
Great Lakes AI Week
The program's launch event returns to Northwest Ohio; anchored by the University of Toledo, Bowling Green State, and regional partners.
View event →The #1 state for business is training the workforce to run it.
In July 2026, CNBC named Ohio America's Top State for Business, the first time the state has held the top spot since the study launched in 2007, and the first Midwestern win in a decade. Ohio ranked first in the country for both infrastructure and cost of doing business, with more than 143 million people inside a single day's drive. That climb, from 34th in 2010 to 1st today, is the work JobsOhio and its partners have been doing for fifteen years.
AI Ready Ohio is the next piece of it. The data centers, chip plants, and advanced manufacturing lines coming to Ohio create demand for people who can put these tools to work, in every industry and all 88 counties, not only in the server halls. JobsOhio sponsors this training so Ohioans are not simply living where the AI economy gets built. They are the ones running it.
AI Ready Ohio is sponsored by JobsOhio, the state's private economic development corporation, and delivered by the Enterprise Technology Association. Ranking source: CNBC 2026 America's Top States for Business.
Built for Ohio's full workforce.
AI Ready Ohio is designed for the full range of Ohio's working professionals; not just technologists. If you work in Ohio, this program is for you.
Business & Operations Leaders
Manufacturing & Industrial
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Government & Public Sector
Educators & Trainers
HR & Talent Leaders
Small Business Owners
Students & Recent Grads
Transitioning Professionals
Powered by the institutions building Ohio's AI future.
AI Ready Ohio is delivered through a statewide coalition: a state economic development lead, a national convening organization, a statewide coordination hub lead, a growing university network, and technology partners whose credentials carry real industry weight.
JobsOhio
Ohio's statewide private nonprofit economic development corporation; the state economic development lead for AI Ready Ohio and the funder making regional access possible.
Enterprise Technology Association
A national organization accelerating technology education, enablement, and ecosystem building across America; delivering training, certifications, and program operations statewide.
University of Cincinnati
The statewide coordination hub lead partner; anchoring program coordination across Ohio's universities, training partners, and regions, and bringing its research and workforce expertise to the effort.
University Partners
Training and Certification Partners
A career pathway for every Ohioan.
AI Ready Ohio delivers a three-tier certification system through university and training partners across the state. Credits accumulate across AI Week workshops, virtual masterclasses, and cohort programs; stackable toward recognized credentials.
AI Explorer
Foundational AI literacy for every professional. What AI is, what it can and cannot do, and how to use it responsibly in everyday work.
- AI fundamentals and terminology
- Prompting and tool use
- Ethics, risk, and responsible use
AI Empowered Professional
Applied skills for practitioners. How to integrate AI into specific roles across operations, marketing, engineering, finance, HR, and more.
- Role-based AI workflows
- Tool selection and integration
- Team adoption playbooks
AI Empowered Leader
Strategic AI leadership. Governance, investment, and transformation for executives and senior managers shaping enterprise-wide change.
- AI strategy and governance
- Organizational transformation
- Measurement and accountability
AI Ready Ohio is putting people at the front of Ohio's AI conversation. AI Ready Ohio fast-tracks AI education for Ohio residents and AI enablement for Ohio businesses, creating the foundation for success across industries and sectors in the AI economy.
Executive Director, US AI Congress
Ready to build an AI Ready Ohio?
Whether you are an Ohio professional ready to earn your AI credential, or an employer, community organization, or institution ready to join the coalition, there is a path for you.
- Preview the program and sign up now at AIReadyOhio.org
- Join the free Virtual Town Hall and Training Day on August 26
- Get AI Certified in person at an Ohio AI Week, or online
- Get a head start today in the ETA community portal
- Partner with AI Ready Ohio to sponsor workforce cohorts
- Deliver regional programming as a training or university partner
Ohio first. America next.
AI Ready Ohio is the first AI Ready State program in the country, and a model for what AI Ready America can look like. Every credential, every partnership, every cohort built here is designed to scale; giving other states a proven playbook for the AI economy.