Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are rapidly transforming industries and are expected to drive more technological progress over the next decade than witnessed in the past century. Future careers in sectors such as healthcare, cybersecurity, logistics, and advanced analytics will require a strong foundational knowledge of AI/ML, with job growth in these fields projected to outpace that of many other occupations significantly. This shift in workforce demand underscores the need for structured retraining and upskilling programs, particularly at the early stages of higher education. To meet these workforce needs, our project will offer a structured continuum of experiential learning activities that combine academic instruction with practical, hands-on training in real-world AI/ML environments. These activities are designed to prepare learners at the beginning of their academic or technical training journey, ensuring alignment between educational content and workforce expectations. The project’s evaluation will generate a roadmap of experiential learning models that can inform scalable, high-impact approaches to AI/ML workforce development. The goal of this project is to prepare cohorts in early-career stages with foundational and applied skills in AI/ML, enabling them to pursue technology-focused careers across various sectors. The program follows a structured academic-industry model consisting of three modules: a semester-long AI/ML course focused on co