South Africa Workshop 1 (Pretoria)  /  Onboarding

Onboarding guide

Everything you need to get set up and ready during the pre-work period. Work through it at your own pace.

The virtual pre-work period

What the pre-work involves

The virtual pre-work prepares you for a successful workshop. During this phase, you complete at least the first four AI Research Foundations courses on Google Skills.

By completing the pre-work online, everyone arrives at the in-person workshop with a shared technical foundation. This lets the week focus on deeper learning, teaching practice, and adapting the curriculum for your own students.

During the pre-work period, you will:

  • Complete the AI Research Foundations courses 01 to 04 on Google Skills
  • Join the Discord community
  • Attend the weekly live sessions
  • Engage with your cohort and the programme facilitators
  • Arrive fully prepared for the workshop
An AI Champion working through the pre-work courses online The AI Research Foundations courses on Google Skills

Programme timeline

Where pre-work sits in your journey

You are here Now Pre-work periodCourses 01 to 04
14–18 September 2026 Workshop weekPretoria
Late 2026 Course deliveryTeach your students
2026 to 2027 Capstone supervisionGuide projects
After delivery ReportingShare outcomes

Onboarding checklist

Three steps to get started

  1. 1

    Join the Discord community

    Meet your cohort and the team, ask questions, and get announcements.

    Join Discord
  2. 2

    Create a Google Skills account and enrol

    Sign up on Google Skills and enrol on the AI Research Foundations path.

    skills.google/paths/3135
  3. 3

    Start Course 01 on Google Skills

    Enrol on the AI Research Foundations path and complete at least the first four courses (01 to 04) before the workshop.

Access the full curriculum on Google Skills

Requirements to attend

What you need to attend the workshop

Workshop requirement

Complete at least the first four courses (01 to 04) on Google Skills, and attend at least 50% of the live sessions during pre-work, to attend the in-person workshop.

Complete at least these four courses on Google Skills beforehand. The rest of the curriculum continues after the week.

Dates and calendar

Add the key dates to your calendar

Onboarding session

A live kickoff to get set up and oriented before the pre-work begins.

Add to calendar

Live Sessions

Recurring online sessions with the team during pre-work. Recordings are shared.

Day and time to be confirmed

Workshop week

The in-person workshop week in Pretoria.

Dates to be confirmed

Support and contact

We are here to help

Live Sessions

Recurring online sessions where the team meets participants to discuss progress, answer questions, and keep the cohorts engaged through pre-work. Recordings are shared.

Email the team

Reach us any time at ai-research-foundations@aims.ac.za.

Questions for the team?

Whatever you need, we are here to support you before, during, and after the workshop. If anything in this guide is unclear, reach out any time.

ai-research-foundations@aims.ac.za