Skill-A-Thon offers free AI training
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | August 20, 2025 12:45 AM
MOSES LAKE — The North Central Washington Tech Alliance is offering free courses to help locals put artificial intelligence to work for them, and offering some prizes to boot.
“Everything we do these days is all about AI,” said David Estrada, NCW Tech Alliance STEM Program manager for Moses Lake. “Your cars have AI, people have AI on their wrists in their smart watches, their telephone, computers, everything's AI down the road.”
The program is called the AI Skill-A-Thon, and it involves watching videos and then taking tests on ChatGPT, Copilot and other AI programs in either English or Spanish. Those who do will come out with some skills that will serve them well in the job market as well as earn a certificate for their LinkedIn account, Estrada said.
Besides, that, NCW Tech Alliance is offering cash prizes for the students who complete the most courses before Sept. 30. First-, second- and third-place winners will each win $500, or $1,000 if they win as a group, Estrada said.
There is no charge either for the instruction or to enter the contest. Participants must be 16 years old and have a free LinkedIn account. Then they register through a QR code and begin learning. As a participant earns certificates, they upload those certificates to qualify for the contest. The contest is open to residents of Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan, Adams, and Ferry counties.
AI has an infinite variety of uses, Estrada said, from sorting apples in a factory to creating advertising to translating between languages.
“Every certificate you get will (help) you potentially to get a job down the road,” he said. “That's our main focus.”
To begin learning, scan the QR code and follow the instructions. More information can be found at www.communityskilling.org or by contacting Estrada at 509-760-3020.
To join the AI Skill-A-Thon, scan this code or visit www.communityskilling.org.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
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Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
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Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.