AcademyEX launches AI training scheme for charities

academyEX has launched an AI training initiative that gives New Zealand charities access to its learning platform when businesses buy licences. The scheme links corporate training purchases to donated places for registered charities and non-profit organisations.

The programme, called AI for Good, is built around academyEX's AI for Business online platform. Under the model, each business licence triggers a donated licence for a charity or non-profit organisation that needs AI training.

The initiative is intended to widen access to AI skills beyond the corporate sector, where training budgets are generally stronger. academyEX is positioning the scheme as a way to extend practical knowledge of AI tools and responsible use to organisations that often operate with tighter budgets and smaller teams.

The learning platform includes structured courses, resources, a weekly updated tools library, digital credentials and an interactive playground. The content is designed to build AI literacy and confidence across organisations rather than target a narrow group of specialists.

Charity access

The campaign allows businesses to nominate a charity they already support or choose from a selected list of non-profit organisations seeking AI training. This ties commercial purchases directly to access for community groups.

Frances Valintine, founder and chief executive officer of academyEX, said the aim is to spread AI literacy more broadly across the economy and the community. "When more people understand AI and how to use it safely and effectively, we create a workforce and a society that is more confident, more capable and better prepared for the future.

"AI for Good is about ensuring AI literacy is shared more widely," Valintine said.

The initiative comes as organisations in New Zealand and elsewhere weigh how quickly to introduce AI tools into day-to-day work while also addressing governance, training and risk. For many charities, the challenge is not only deciding where AI can be useful, but also finding the time and money to train staff.

Valintine said this imbalance could leave parts of the sector behind as companies move faster. "New Zealand's competitive edge in an AI-driven world depends on how quickly organisations build the right skills to use these technologies responsibly and confidently. Businesses are investing in AI capability for their teams, but many charities and community organisations simply don't have the same resources. AI for Good allows businesses to build their own capability while helping extend those skills to organisations doing important work in the community," she said.

Early testing

Before the wider rollout, academyEX tested the platform with charity partners including Ronald McDonald House and Canteen. The work was intended to assess whether the training was practical for non-profit settings, where staffing structures, service delivery and communications needs can differ from those of large businesses.

The pilot also allowed academyEX to assess whether its course material matched the operational realities of charities. Feedback helped confirm the content was relevant before the broader launch.

"We wanted to ensure the programme genuinely works for charities before launching the initiative," Valintine said.

"Testing the content with organisations like Ronald McDonald House confirmed that accessible AI skills can make a meaningful difference to how charities operate, communicate and deliver their services," she said.

Broader push

academyEX describes itself as a postgraduate institute and education technology provider focused on professional education in AI, change, education and leadership. It says it has worked with thousands of professionals and organisations over the past decade, including government agencies, large businesses and financial institutions.

Among the organisations it named were Health New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Air New Zealand and Fonterra. That client base gives academyEX a route into employers that may be able to support the charity scheme through their training budgets.

The launch also reflects a wider shift in workplace learning, as employers seek to move AI adoption beyond isolated experiments and into broader staff use. Training providers have responded with courses aimed at non-technical workers as companies try to build internal understanding of where AI can help and where controls are needed.

For charities, the pressure can be different. Many are expected to improve administration, fundraising, communication and service delivery with limited resources, making low-cost or donated training more attractive than large technology projects.

Valintine said the risk of unequal access is already visible as businesses adopt AI tools at speed. "As businesses adopt AI tools rapidly, there is a real risk that parts of our community are left behind. AI for Good is our commitment to ensuring that capability grows across both our organisations and our communities," she said.