University of British Columbia student Zayan Sheikh has helped build tools such as a generative AI system designed to assist UBC law students.Jennifer Gauthier/The Globe and Mail
Zayan Sheikh, 21, is already ahead of his peers in a difficult job market because he made one key decision: learning how to effectively use artificial intelligence.
The fourth-year computer science student at the University of British Columbia still has another year of school left, but he knew he would have to do something to distinguish himself as hiring slows in many industries and young Canadians face one of the toughest job markets in decades.
He took matters into his own hands and decided to work at the university’s Cloud Innovation Centre, a program run in partnership with Amazon Web Services. There, he helped build tools such as a generative AI system designed to assist UBC law students.
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The experience has already helped him in the internship and job market, he said. “Most of the job postings have cloud computing requirements and favour generative AI experience.”
While upskilling in AI can be valuable at any stage of a career, it’s become especially important for young Canadians entering the workforce. Many of the entry-level tasks that once helped people get their foot in the door are increasingly being handled by AI tools. As a result, young job seekers are turning to AI courses and self-taught tools to strengthen their position in the labour market, as employers begin to expect at least a basic level of AI literacy across many fields.
Upskilling in AI has become especially important for young Canadians entering the workforce.Jennifer Gauthier/The Globe and Mail
Experts say the goal isn’t necessarily about becoming an AI expert but learning the foundations of the technology and how to use it alongside an existing discipline, whether that’s business, humanities, computer science, or any other field.
“What’s going to replace you is not AI directly, but it’s going to be the people who actually know how to use AI,” said Murray Lei, academic director of the Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence program at Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business.
A 2025 survey of 1,915 adults by Abacus Data found nearly half of employed Canadians worry automation could soon force them to change their job or career. Among young adults aged 18 to 29, that figure rises to 55 per cent.
At the same time, companies say they are actively looking for workers who understand how to use the technology. Amazon Web Services’ 2025 Canadian Generative AI Index surveyed about 425 decision makers at companies in Canada and found nearly 90 per cent of organizations expect to hire AI-skilled roles.
In the past, interest in AI training largely came from technical professionals such as engineers and programmers, said Coral Kennett, education lead for Amazon Web Services in Canada, which offers cloud and AI training programs. In recent years, she has seen growing demand from people across industries, especially from young job seekers. AWS has trained more than 300,000 Canadians through its courses, she said.
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A good first step in upskilling in AI is to have a foundational understanding of how to use the technology, said Adam Danyleyko, product owner for the training team at Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, which offers AI training courses.
In addition to taking courses, simply becoming comfortable using AI tools in your personal life is valuable, Ms. Kennett said.
“There’s a certain amount of trepidation from people who haven’t used the tools,” Ms. Kennett said. “But as they start to use them and get more comfortable with them, they can understand how it can be applied to their career.”
Once a foundation is in place, workers can begin combining AI skills with their existing expertise or studies through additional training.
Because of how fast the technology changes, Prof. Lei recommends people also try to start building products with them. That way, you can experiment with the pros and cons for each tool and become a trusted leader of AI in a potential workplace, he said.
But experts caution young job seekers against taking endless AI courses. Instead, they recommend focusing on programs that are relevant to their specific career goals and offered by reputable institutions that regularly update their content.
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Ms. Kennett said that the level of upskilling, and how much time and money someone should invest, depends largely on one’s career goals. For people going into an AI strategy role, pursuing a master’s degree may make sense, while for others, free online courses can provide enough foundational knowledge.
She said it can also be helpful to choose courses that offer certifications, since they provide a recognizable credential that employers can evaluate.
Malika Hyder, 29, is enrolled in a master’s program in artificial intelligence at Queen’s University and has taken online AI courses, which helped her quickly rise through the ranks at Bell. She now works as a senior manager of generative AI products, despite having a background in business.
Now she is hiring employees herself, and she looks closely at whether candidates have taken the initiative to learn AI skills. She recommends sharing certifications and other upskilling efforts on LinkedIn to help grab prospective employers’ attention.
“I’ve always been upskilling myself in every role that I’ve taken on, and have been ahead of the curve,” Ms. Hyder said, who is based in Toronto. “AI education and certifications have definitely been one of the key things in my career trajectory.”
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