New Delhi, January 22, 2026: AVPN has announced a major expansion of its AI Opportunity Fund: Asia-Pacific, strengthening regional efforts to build inclusive and future-ready AI skilling infrastructure. Supported by Google.org and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Fund has selected 18 local training providers under Phase Two and launched new platforms to support large-scale workforce upskilling.
Originally launched as a USD 15 million initiative, the AI Opportunity Fund expanded by an additional USD 10 million for Phase Two. The newly selected organisations were chosen for their experience in delivering AI skilling programmes tailored to local workforce needs. AVPN will work closely with these providers to co-develop curricula while allowing flexibility to address community-specific challenges.
The beneficiaries of the programme span diverse groups, including farmers, healthcare workers, students from vocational institutes and universities, job seekers, domestic workers and caregivers, as well as professionals and technicians. In India, Japan and Indonesia, supported organisations are focusing on practical, role-based AI skills to improve employability, productivity and digital confidence across sectors such as agriculture, caregiving, MSMEs and services.
Alongside funding, AVPN is strengthening the AI skilling ecosystem through two new initiatives. The first is AI Learning for the Future of Work, a publicly accessible AI training content hub that enables workers to discover and enrol in AI courses offered by the Fund’s local training providers. The second is an AI Skilling Policy Toolkit, designed for governments and policymakers to translate AI skilling principles into actionable policies and implementation pathways.
Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO of AVPN, said, “Workers in Asia Pacific have an urgent need for contextually relevant, localised, digital skills and relevant upskilling that will position them well for employability, entrepreneurship and job retention. Continuing on the strong momentum and results of Phase One of the AI Opportunity Fund, Phase Two of the AI Opportunity Fund initiative expands the good work that has been and continues to be done by the selected organisations in empowering workers across the region, partnering policymakers, reaching out to workers seeking resources, forging more equitable outcomes for all.”
Marija Ralic, Head of Google.org APAC, added, “By supporting an additional 18 local providers and launching the AI Content Hub, AVPN is making localized upskilling available to the public at an unprecedented scale… This program is a vital step toward a future-ready workforce and Google.org’s vision of unlocking opportunity for everyone, everywhere.”
Antonio Zaballos, Director, Digital Sector Office, ADB, noted, “Through the AI Opportunity Fund, ADB is supporting a holistic, AI-ready ecosystem that links workforce skilling with policy readiness and scalable investment opportunities… helping countries move beyond isolated pilots toward bankable, region-wide solutions.”
Phase One of the Fund trained over 300,000 workers through 48 organisations by December 2025. With Phase Two, AVPN aims to support training for 720,000 workers across Asia-Pacific and 100,000 MSMEs in Southeast Asia by 2027, reinforcing its focus on inclusive, scalable AI skilling and policy alignment across the region.
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