Skilling your organization
Most people in an organization aren't AI specialists. A key role of an AI CoE is to make AI learning approachable, current, and relevant to each person's job. The CoE should start by assessing skills, data readiness, and adoption maturity, using guidance such as the Cloud Adoption Framework plan for AI adoption, and then convert those gaps into a practical learning roadmap.
A strong roadmap uses the Microsoft Learn AI learning hub as a starting point because it organizes learning by role. The CoE can adapt those role tabs into internal tracks such as:
- Leaders and business sponsors: AI strategy, responsible AI, value measurement, change management, and selecting use cases that match business priorities.
- Developers: building and governing responsible AI apps and agents with Microsoft Foundry, applying prompt and agent patterns, integrating models, tools, and safeguards, and preparing for app and agent development credentials.
- Low-code app makers: using Power Platform to create business apps, automations, Dataverse-backed solutions, and AI-assisted experiences; using Microsoft Copilot Studio to create agents, workflows, actions, knowledge, and connectors; and learning Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility options such as agents, plugins, connectors, and Copilot Studio actions.
- Data professionals and data scientists: data quality, governance, analytics, model evaluation, retrieval-augmented generation, and preparing data so AI systems can use it safely.
- IT and operations teams: AI-ready tenants, identity, access, licensing, monitoring, cost management, and operational readiness for Copilot and Azure AI workloads.
- Security, risk, and compliance teams: securing AI systems, protecting sensitive data, applying Zero Trust, monitoring usage, and governing AI with Microsoft security and compliance tools.
Certification guidance should also stay current. Microsoft lists AI-900 and AI-102 as retiring on June 30, 2026. For foundational AI learning, the current Azure AI Fundamentals path is AI-901. For developers who build AI apps and agents, the current replacement path is AI-103, Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate. The CoE should review certification changes regularly so learning plans don't point staff to retired exams.
Formal learning is only part of skilling. The AI CoE should reinforce learning with short workshops, guided labs, internal hackathons, proof-of-concept challenges, and scenario-based exercises that use real business problems. It can also build a champions network, run office hours, host peer-learning circles, and encourage teams to share reusable prompts, patterns, and lessons learned. These habits help AI skills move from training materials into daily work.
With role-based tracks, current Microsoft Learn resources, and repeatable peer-learning practices, the AI CoE helps employees build confidence while giving the organization a clearer path from experimentation to responsible, measurable AI adoption.