?aq’am Community Enterprises (ACE) is the economic development arm of the ?aq’am First Nation, the largest member of Ktunaxa Nation. Known for its progressive business development goals, ACE undertook a comprehensive review of its strategic priorities. The result is a dynamic new five-year strategic plan that will guide more efficient, tactical, and resilient delivery of ACE’s programs and services. The project was supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).
6-Month AI Certification Program for Economic Developers
AI is transforming how economic developers attract investment, serve their communities, and spark regional growth. Our 6-month AI certification program gives you the confidence to integrate AI tools and strategies into your daily work, even if don’t have a tech background.
Why Join This Program?
Economic developers across the country are already using AI to streamline research, support local businesses, and strengthen community connections.
The ETSI-BC AI Certification Program is designed specifically for economic development professionals based in the Southern Interior of BC who want to build confidence using AI tools and strategies in their day-to-day work. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to sharpen your skills, this program is your step forward.
You will gain practical experience with AI tools that make your existing work easier—whether you’re writing grant proposals, analyzing regional data, or communicating with stakeholders. You will develop skills specifically designed for economic development professionals, positioning yourself and your region to succeed as AI becomes increasingly central to economic growth. This certificate program builds on the 3-part AI webinar series hosted by ETSI-BC in early 2025.
Meet Your Instructors
Since 2023, BC resident and AI adoption specialist Nicole Donnelly, her co-facilitator Andrea Rickett and the rest of the AI Smart Ventures team have taught more than 15,000 people how to use AI in their work. Participants got an average of 50% of their time back, resulting in over 10M hours of time saved! With 18 years of experience as entrepreneurs who have used AI since 2015, Nicole and Andrea know how to leverage AI to supercharge teams and businesses. Nicole and Andrea delivered the highly successful and well-attended 3-part ETSI-BC AI Webinar series in early 2025.
Program Details
Format: Each month, you’ll participate in :
- One interactive Zoom workshop session exploring real AI applications in economic development
- One hands-on lab where you’ll practice with tools and get personalized guidance
Schedule: Wednesdays, starting September 24, 2025 through March 4, 2026 (12 sessions total)
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 AM PST
Monthly Time Commitment: 2 hours for class and lab sessions, plus 4 hours applying AI to your workflows and tasks.
Session Calendar:
| Zoom Class | Zoom Lab |
| September 24 | October 8 |
| October 22 | November 5 |
| November 19 | December 3 |
| December 17 | January 7 |
| January 21 | February 4 |
| February 18 | March 4 |
Eligibility:
Economic Development Practitioners in the ETSI-BC service area from:
- Local governments (municipalities and regional districts) and their associated economic development entities
- Indigenous communities and their associated economic development entities
- Non-Profit Business Support organizations serving the region, such as:
- Community Futures and Chambers
- Industry Associations
- Accelerators
The reduced registration fee will only apply to one individual from each organization/community. If space allows, other registrants from the same organization/community may register. A higher rate may apply.
Cost:
- First 30 participants:
- $500 for communities under 7,500 residents; $1,000 for larger communities
- Next 20 participants: $1,250
- Certificate awarded upon completion
Ready to Learn More? Please complete the short Expression of Interest by September 16, 2025. Eligible participants will be sent a payment link within 2 working days.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST
Course Outline
Session 1: Introduction to AI for Economic Development
Overview of AI concepts, safety & security, tools, and their relevance to ECDEV.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand core AI concepts, terms, and capabilities
- Recognize the relevance of AI tools in economic development (ECDEV) roles
- Identify AI safety, security, and ethical considerations
Session 2: Prompt Engineering
Crafting effective prompts for AI tools to create letters of reference, emails, etc.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn how AI interprets prompts and what makes a prompt effective
- Apply prompt templates to generate emails, letters of support, and reference letters
- Edit and refine AI outputs for tone, clarity, and professionalism
Session 3: Data Analysis and Visualization
Using AI to analyze, summarize data, and present data for decision-making.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand how to input and structure data for AI interpretation
- Use AI to generate summaries, trend insights, and simple visualizations
- Translate findings into language suitable for stakeholders or leadership
Session 4: Content Creation
Streamline the creation of marketing materials, reports, SOPs, MOUs, grant drafts, and presentations.
Learning Outcomes
- Streamline content creation using AI for key ECDEV documents
- Understand how to tailor AI outputs for different formats (e.g., SOPs vs. grants)
- Collaborate with AI to maintain tone, structure, and factual accuracy
Session 5: Spreadsheets
Create budgets, update spreadsheet data, analyze the data, etc.
Learning Outcomes
- Use AI to interpret, clean, and transform spreadsheet data
- Generate simple formulas and budget structures via natural language input
- Identify errors or optimization opportunities in existing sheets
Session 6: AI for Research and Insights
Using AI to gather and synthesize information for strategic planning, work plans, business strategies, NAICS code work etc.
Learning Outcomes
- Use AI to gather relevant data (e.g., NAICS codes, funding programs, regional stats)
- Know how and when to Conduct Deep Research, and know how to automate repetitive research
- Distinguish between high-quality and low-quality AI-sourced insights
More News & Stories
Thompson-Okanagan Launches New Economic Development Practitioners Network
After a year of work connecting economic development practitioners across the Thompson-Okanagan, the region’s first Economic Development Practitioners Network (EDPN) is now in place. Modelled after the Kootenay Boundary EDPN created in 2014, the Thompson Okanagan EDPN includes community and municipal and First Nations economic development practitioners, Chambers of Commerce, Community Futures and other stakeholders. The group came together for the first time on April 8, 2026, where they learned, shared ideas and information, and further planned future activities. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is committed to supporting both the Kootenay Boundary and Thompson-Okanagan networks of economic development practitioners.
2027-30 Strategic Planning and DAAP 4.39 Updates
June 25, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is grateful for the input from partners, funding recipients, committee members and other regional stakeholders who have taken the time to help inform our next three-year Strategic Plan for 2027-30. We are also pleased to provide an update on the status of the DAAP 4.39 action item.
ETSI-BC Fall 2026 Funding Intake: Up to $1M Available for Projects
June 18, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is pleased to announce that its next Funding Intake will launch on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 and close on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
ETSI-BC Spring Funding Intake Invests Over $1 Million to Strengthen the Southern Interior Economy
June 8, 2026 – Communities across British Columbia’s Southern Interior are set to benefit from a new round of investment through the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior. On June 5, 2026, ETSI-BC approved $1,011,000 in funding for 33 projects, representing a combined project value of $3 million. The funded initiatives will help communities diversify their local economies, support innovation, and respond to regional opportunities
Helping Shape the Future of ETSI-BC Support in the Southern Interior
May 11, 2026 – ETSI-BC is inviting partners from across the Southern Interior to participate in a series of virtual focus groups as part of an Impact Assessment that will inform its next three-year Strategic Plan, covering the period from April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2030.
Similkameen Economic Vitality Plan Drives Growth and Resilience
Keremeos, one of the fastest growing rural communities in British Columbia, has evolved from its agricultural heritage to a business hub at the heart of the Similkameen region with a robust tourist sector and vast potential to develop new business opportunities. In 2024, the Similkameen Country Development Association initiated a comprehensive Economic Vitality Initiative to better address the pressing needs of local businesses. Collaboration by many stakeholders along with funding support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) drove the plan to completion, and the strategies it contains are now being implemented.
Ktunaxa Business Showcase Links Indigenous Businesses to Procurement Opportunities
The Ktunaxa Business Showcase, led by the Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC), is expanding, improving and helping members secure new business contracts in southeastern BC. The success of the most recent 2025 Showcase event reflects strategic changes to the program’s timeline and format, and was supported by funding from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).
Strong Demand for ETSI-BC Spring Funding Intake
April 15, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) closed its 2026 Spring Funding Intake, with a strong response from communities and organizations across the region. The intake closed on April 9, 2026, with 48 applications requesting nearly $1.7 million in funding, representing a combined project value of almost $4 million.
2026 ETSI-BC Legislative Review
March 30, 2026 – We are pleased to present the findings and recommendations of the 2026 ETSI-BC Legislative Review Committee. The Committee reviewed the Act that governs ETSI-BC and the proposed changes that the Province has put forward this year. A Legislative Review is conducted every 5 years by an independent committee. This year in particular, their report has several important recommendations of relevance to First Nations and local governments in the Southern Interior, and to the Province.