Adobe & LinkedIn launch free AI training for marketers

Adobe and LinkedIn have launched AI Essentials for Marketers, a free training programme for marketing professionals worldwide.

The initiative will offer role-based courses through LinkedIn Learning and Adobe Experience League, covering digital marketing, content and creative, social and communications, and data and analytics.

Aimed at marketers at different career stages, the short-form training is designed for people who cannot spend long periods away from work. The courses will be available in 47 languages.

LinkedIn said the programme draws on data from its Economic Graph, which tracks trends across its global network of members, companies and listed skills. According to that data, AI skills are the top area of focus for marketing professionals, and the share of marketing job postings requiring AI literacy has risen 113% year on year.

The training is intended to address a shift in marketing work towards AI-driven content planning, content creation and production, audience targeting, campaign development, and the use of data and insights in workflows.

Four role-based courses make up the initial offering. BrandWorks, LinkedIn's team that supports customers with strategy and creative work, designed them around marketing functions identified as in demand by the Economic Graph data.

On LinkedIn's side, the courses will sit within LinkedIn Learning, its online training platform, which has more than 25,000 courses, including 2,300 focused on AI. Adobe's contribution will include expanded learning materials, practical exercises and customer examples through Experience League.

Skills push

The launch also extends Adobe's broader training work through Adobe Digital Academy, backed by USD $100 million in donations, scholarships, product access and partnerships. Adobe said the academy and Experience League have supported learners seeking marketing, creative and AI literacy skills.

Adobe framed the effort as part of a wider response to changes in how marketing teams work with generative and agentic AI tools. It also pointed to adoption among large corporate customers, saying 99% of Fortune 100 companies use AI in an Adobe app.

Rachel Thornton, Chief Marketing Officer, Enterprise at Adobe, said the programme is designed to help marketers adapt as AI becomes more embedded in their work.

"Marketers everywhere are eager to embrace AI but need the right skills to do it with confidence," Thornton said. "AI Essentials for Marketers is about more than mastering new tools; it's about reimagining what creativity, marketing strategy, and customer relationships look like in an AI-powered era. Through Adobe and LinkedIn's partnership, marketers can now access hundreds of hours of content, training, videos and expertise from a global community of marketers and technologists who are using and shaping AI and marketing tools and products. Training and re-skilling are top of mind for CMOs, and at Adobe we are excited to partner with LinkedIn to make it easier and faster for teams to learn and train on what's next for marketing, creativity and AI."

LinkedIn said the project reflects rising demand for practical AI training beyond specialist technical roles. The courses are intended to help marketers understand both immediate job requirements and longer-term career shifts.

"Marketers are navigating the shift to AI and it is both daunting and exciting," said Jessica Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer, LinkedIn. "LinkedIn's labor market report provides insights for marketers to see where the industry is going and to understand the skills they will need to be successful both in their current job and for what's next in their careers. Together with Adobe, we're helping make AI skills accessible to every marketer - not just technical specialists - through scalable, practical learning designed for the realities of modern work."

Participants who complete the courses will be able to earn certificates to display on their LinkedIn profiles. Adobe and LinkedIn plan to add more material over time to reflect changes in AI tools and working practices.