AI agents are transforming work – a new and free, university‑level course makes the skills accessible to everyone
Work is becoming increasingly demanding and fragmented, while expectations for productivity continue to rise. AI agents offer a way to address this challenge by supporting human wellbeing and sustainable productivity. A new and free, university‑level AI Agent Fundamentals course provides practical capabilities for adopting and using AI agents in working life. The course has been developed in collaboration with higher education institutions and technology partners as part of Skills for Jobs programme.
Research by EY shows that employees’ interest in developing AI skills is high, yet the lack of structured training programs is slowing the adoption of agentic AI in organisations – only 23 per cent of employees have used AI agents. The new university‑level AI Agent Fundamentals course equips participants with practical skills to identify opportunities for using AI agents in their own work and to create them responsibly, with security considerations in mind.
Finland has long been a leader in digitalization, but it is now at risk of falling behind in the practical adoption of artificial intelligence. Globally, the market value of AI agents is expected to grow from USD 5.4 billion to as much as USD 236 billion over the next decade. According to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, 49 per cent of Finnish leaders consider productivity growth essential, yet 78 per cent feel their current resources are insufficient. To address this gap, 75 per cent of leaders see AI as the key solution.
According to Research by EY, AI agents are expected to deliver significant improvements in both productivity and the meaningfulness of work. Rather than automating individual tasks, they reshape entire processes and business models, enabling large‑scale collaboration between people and AI across workflows. This is not about optimizing old ways of working, but about building new forms of work and long‑term competitiveness.
Vivicta’s Nordic AI Navigator study shows that while Nordic companies strongly believe in the potential of AI, only a few have succeeded in scaling its benefits broadly. The research also highlights the factors that differentiate advanced organizations from others.
The free AI Agent Fundamentals course provides practical skills for using AI agents
To support skills development, a new, accessible for all and free AI Agent Fundamentals course has been launched. The course provides foundational knowledge for understanding and applying AI agents in everyday work. The course offers hands‑on practice in building AI agents using an agent platform developed by Twoday, without the need for licenses. The course is delivered in English, with a Finnish‑language version to be published in Spring 2026. The one (1) ECTS‑credit course has been developed in collaboration with Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, Microsoft, EY, Gofore, Netox, Twoday, and Vivicta.
“Finland needs people who can drive a digital leap forward. We want to demystify AI agents. Anyone can learn these foundational skills and apply agents in their work. A free course ensures that AI is not limited to large enterprises – leaders and employees in the Helsinki Metropolitan area can keep pace as well,” says Teemu Vidgrén, Managing Director, Microsoft Finland.
“AI agents are changing everyday work by reducing routine tasks and improving the quality of decision‑making. This is only possible when people are actively involved in the change and ways of working are developed accordingly. The biggest transformation is not in the technology itself, but in how we lead work,” says Mikko Äijälä, Managing Partner, EY Finland.
“AI agents are rapidly transforming how work is done and how digital services are built. At Gofore, we see the future of digital services emerging through responsible and transparent collaboration between people and agents. This course provides concrete capabilities for taking the first steps toward an agent‑enabled working life,” says Miika Nurminen, Digital Services Director, Gofore.
“AI and agents are not experiments for us – they are a way to get more out of work every day. They reduce manual effort, accelerate decision‑making, and help people focus on what matters most. For Finnish companies, the benefits are clear: higher productivity, better quality, and controlled adoption with security built in from the start,”
says Ville Kankare, Vice President, Security & Modern Work, Netox.
“At Twoday, we believe that democratizing AI agents is the most impactful way to accelerate Finnish working life. By making our agent technology available to course participants, we help bridge the gap from ideas to practice. Together with our partners, we are building capabilities that create long‑term value,” says Eerik Puskala, AI Practice Director, Twoday.
“AI agents represent the next major productivity leap, and we want to ensure that organizations are ready to use them responsibly and effectively. Our recent Nordic AI maturity study shows that while belief in AI’s productivity potential is strong, investments remain modest: on average only 10 per cent of IT and innovation budgets, compared to around 26 per cent globally. Key challenges include data management, skills, and regulation. At Vivicta, we help organizations move from pilots to scaled, governed AI that delivers measurable business value. We are pleased to support a course that offers a clear and practical way to build enterprise‑grade AI capabilities,” says Tero Virtanen, Country Manager, Vivicta.
Skills for Job programme accelerating Finland’s AI and data capabilities
AI Agent Fundamentals course is part of the broader Skills for Jobs programme, which aims to support Finland in becoming one of the most advanced countries in the world in AI, data economy, cyber security, and sustainable IT. Over the past four years, more than 310,000 experts – over one in ten working‑age adults – have accumulated new technology skills through the program. The programme aims to train 300,000 new or futher trained technology experts within five years.
Skills for Jobs programme also offers the popular Practical AI course course, Cybersecurity, Power Platform, AI Developer, and Data Skills microdegrees, as well as other opportunities for developing expertise through different training partners’ client and partner skills programs.