Pre-Workshop

Virtual Pre-Work runs 18 May to 12 June 2026: four weeks of online pre-work so you arrive prepared and ready. The in-person week builds directly on this foundation, so completing the pre-work is essential.

Getting set up

1

Create your Google Skills account

Sign up on Google Skills.

2

Work through the courses

Complete the first four courses (Courses 01–04), from building your own small language model to discovering the transformer architecture, on Google Skills.

3

Join the communication channels

Join Discord for course Q&A and weekly check-ins.

4

Set your Skills profile to public

So the team can track your progress and support you through pre-work.

Target

Complete the first four courses (01–04) to at least 80% by Friday 12 June 2026. Realistic commitment: 30–45 hours over four weeks.

Support during pre-work

Office hours every Wednesday at 14:00 SAST, with recordings shared. Ask questions anytime in the Discord #help channels.

Test yourself

Take the Workshop Readiness Quiz

Twenty quick questions across the first four courses, from basic Python to transformers. See where you shine and what is worth a refresher before you arrive.

Start the quiz