University of Illinois at Chicago

02/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/03/2026 09:14

UIC and WordPress Foundation launch workforce-focused AI literacy course

UIC and WordPress Foundation launch workforce-focused AI literacy course

February 3, 2026

The University of Illinois Chicago and the WordPress Foundation have launched the UIC Tech Solutions Open Source Fund, an initiative to accelerate open-source systems. Made possible by a donation from tech firm Automattic, the fund will support the country's first workforce-focused AI literacy course, AI Leaders, empowering learners to get jobs that require AI skills.

The online class starts in March and comes with access to physical workspaces at, among other locations, UIC, Louisiana Tech University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, all of which are partner schools in the effort. The first cohort is limited to 80 students from Illinois and Louisiana; UIC students will receive priority to apply for the course before enrollment is expanded to the public. Enrollees start with an orientation covering generative AI tools and AI literacy. From there, 40 are selected for a class that leads to the AI Leader WordPress Micro-Credential and an opportunity to secure a living-wage job. Students who complete the course earn $1,000.

"Open source is the fastest path to shared progress in accessibility and AI literacy," said Jason Maslanka, UIC assistant vice chancellor for innovation and chief technology officer. "This fund is designed to deliver tools and training that are practical, auditable and scalable, advancing UIC's mission to provide the broadest access possible."

The Open Source Fund aims to advance workforce-ready learning models and ensure the work of IT serves the greater mission of an academic institution. Open-source platforms like WordPress have source code publicly available under a license that lets anyone run, study, modify and redistribute the code. Blake Bertuccelli-Booth, UIC assistant director of digital accessibility engineering, will administer the fund and teach the AI Leaders course.

"Every project we fund must have measurable value for the UIC community, as well as open and reusable resources the public can adopt, improve and scale," said Bertuccelli-Booth.

"WordPress was built to expand access to publishing and participation on the open web," said Mary Hubbard, executive director of WordPress. "With support from Automattic and UIC, this work extends the WordPress project's mission into AI literacy, bringing together open-source tools, curriculum and hands-on training that students and institutions can adopt, improve and scale."

To apply for the course, visit the AI Leaders webpage, where strong candidates are immediately invited to participate in an orientation. To support the fund through partnership and follow the work, visit the Open Source Fund webpage.

WordPress is an open-source publishing platform that powers a significant share of the global web and supports developers, educators and creators worldwide. The nonprofit WordPress Foundation manages WordPress trademarks.

University of Illinois at Chicago published this content on February 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 03, 2026 at 15:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]