Upcoming workshops – free and in person

AI workshops for technicians

Two hands-on, 3-hour workshops this fall, hosted by our college partners. Technicians use AI on everyday work, then check the output before they act on it.

No coding. No jargon. All examples come from technician work.

Space is limited. Register early to secure your seat.

Sierra College · Rocklin

AI-Ready Technician Workshop

Date
Thursday, November 19, 2026
Time
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Place
Sierra College, Room H-113
5100 Sierra College Blvd., Rocklin, CA 95677
Register by
November 13
Cost
Free – registration required
Roy Ingram
Department Chair, Mechatronics, Sierra College
ringram5@sierracollege.edu  |  916-284-4185
Mission College with Foothill College · Santa Clara

AI Foundations for Technicians

Date
Friday, December 4, 2026
Time
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Place
Student Engagement Center, Room SEC-220
3000 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95054
Register by
November 30
Cost
Free – registration required
Dr. Clement Lam
Dean of STEM, Mission College
clement.lam@missioncollege.edu  |  (408) 855-5332
Chris Allen
Dean of Apprenticeship Programs, Foothill College

AI tools are reaching the shop floor now

Manufacturers are investing in AI and automation. Investment in the technicians who run and maintain the equipment lags behind. Technicians will use AI tools. They need training to judge whether the output is correct and safe to act on.

These workshops teach a method for that judgment. Technicians use AI on a real task, then check the output against the SOP, the data or a colleague before they act.

Each workshop is the first step toward an AI-Ready Technician pathway at the host college, built with Wayfinder Labs and industry partners.


Practice the method on four everyday tasks

Both workshops use the same four tasks. Participants work with ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude on the free tier, so they can keep using the same tools after the workshop.

1
Shift handoffs – turn rough notes into a clear handoff report
2
Data analysis and charting – find patterns in process data and check the chart against the numbers
3
Escalation reports – write a clear problem description for engineering
4
A legacy equipment manual – troubleshoot from a manual written in a foreign language
>
Spot AI errors, made-up answers and unsupported claims
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Use AI safely at work – data security, company policy and checking the output

Bring a work challenge – something slow, unclear or frustrating – to explore during the session. Bring a description only, not company data. The exercises use synthetic data.


Who should attend

  • Frontline technicians and operators – 1–2 per company. Choose the go-to people on the floor when something breaks, a report is needed or a new process arrives
  • Training leads who prepare and onboard technicians
  • Operations leaders who want to see what AI-readiness looks like on their floor
  • No prior AI or programming experience is needed

What to bring

  • A laptop with a web browser
  • A note on company laptops: many company laptops block AI websites. Check with your IT team before the workshop, or bring a personal laptop
  • A free ChatGPT or Gemini account, set up before the workshop
  • One work task you would like AI to help with

Questions about the workshops?

Contact the host college for your workshop, or write to Wayfinder Labs.

Sunil Samel
Principal, Wayfinder Labs