A free, regionally focused AI skills program is set to open its virtual doors on August 1, 2026, targeting young people aged 16 to 30 in Serbia and Montenegro. The course, titled “AI MODE ON: How to make AI work for you,” promises a practical, no‑prerequisites‑required introduction to ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude — tools that are swiftly becoming as essential as web search or office suites for study, job hunting, and everyday productivity.

What the course actually covers

The program is built around four hours of self‑paced content, with participants given one month to work through the material and earn a certificate upon completion. According to the official announcement published by the Montenegrin news outlet Vijesti, the curriculum moves past generic “AI is the future” talking points and instead focuses on hands‑on applications:

  • Crafting better prompts to get more useful results from ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude.
  • Researching and organizing information faster.
  • Improving written assignments, emails, and reports.
  • Building a CV and tailoring it for specific job applications.
  • Preparing for job interviews with AI‑simulated practice sessions.
  • Recognizing AI limitations and knowing when to verify outputs against trusted sources.

The course explicitly promises that learners will “learn how to turn artificial intelligence into a practical tool for learning, organization, and job preparation.” It is led by Aleksandar Grašić (widely known as Excel Grašić), a multiple Microsoft MVP awardee and founder of the Outliers platform, who specializes in breaking down complex digital themes into digestible lessons.

The initiative is a collaboration between the Coca‑Cola Youth Support Initiative, Aleksandar Grašić, and — for Montenegro — the Center for Youth Education (COE) through the European Youth Card program. No prior technical knowledge is required, and the entire experience is online and free of charge.

Who can join and exactly how to sign up

Eligibility is straightforward: you must be between 16 and 30 years old and reside in either Serbia or Montenegro. Here’s the step‑by‑step enrollment process as described in the promotional material:

  1. Find the genuine platform. The course lives on the Excel Grašić learning platform. The original announcement uses a placeholder link, so do not trust reposts or unsolicited messages. Instead, look for the official registration page through the Coca‑Cola Youth Support Initiative’s verified channels or through Aleksandar Grašić’s official Outliers platform website.
  2. Enter the activation code. Once on the portal, use the code CocaColaPodrska26 to unlock the course.
  3. Start anytime after August 1. All content becomes available on August 1, 2026, and remains accessible until September 1, 2026. You can log in and study at your own pace.
  4. Complete within one month. While the exact deadline may vary depending on when you begin, the advertised rule is that you have one month from your start date to finish the four‑hour curriculum.
  5. Earn your certificate. After completing all modules, you receive a certificate confirming your participation and the skills you’ve practiced.

A word of caution: free educational courses are attractive bait for phishing schemes. Before typing any personal information or creating an account, confirm that the URL belongs to the legitimate platform. If you’re unsure, reach out to the organizers through their public social media accounts or official press contacts.

Why Windows users in the region should pay special attention

The inclusion of Microsoft Copilot makes this training particularly relevant for anyone inside the Windows ecosystem. Copilot is no longer a separate, experimental tool — it is woven into Windows 11, the Edge browser, and Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. A beginner who understands how to prompt Copilot effectively can draft documents, summarize web pages, analyze data, and manage schedules without ever leaving the Microsoft environment.

This course doesn’t turn you into a Copilot expert, but it does teach a transferable framework for using any generative AI. That framework — define the task, provide context, review the output critically, verify key facts — applies whether you’re on a Windows laptop, a web‑based version of Copilot, or a mobile device. For students and early‑career workers who already use Windows, building these habits early can pay dividends.

What you’ll gain — and what the certificate won’t replace

The certificate you earn is a sign of engagement — not a professional certification, a university credit, or a guarantee of employment. Its real value lies in what you do afterward: apply the techniques consistently, document what you create, and continue learning as the tools evolve.

If you’re a student, here’s a practical workflow you might adopt after the course:
- Use AI to transform your class notes into study guides or flashcards — then verify the summaries against your original material.
- Generate practice questions for an upcoming exam, but answer them yourself before looking at the AI’s suggestions.
- Draft a first version of an essay introduction with Copilot, then rewrite it in your own voice and add specific arguments you’ve researched independently.

If you’re job hunting:
- Have AI organize your raw work experience into a clean CV outline. Never let it fabricate titles, dates, or achievements.
- Simulate an interview by asking ChatGPT or Copilot to pose common questions for your target role. Practice answering aloud, not just typing.
- Use AI to research a company before an interview, but cross‑check financial figures, leadership names, and recent news against the company’s official website.

The course explicitly emphasizes responsible use — recognizing AI’s limits and assessing when you need to double‑check information. That’s not a footnote; it’s the most durable skill you can take away. A chatbot that sounds confident is not necessarily correct, and the responsibility for your work always remains yours.

Staying safe while you learn

The course’s focus on responsible AI use aligns with guidance from major tech companies. OpenAI warns that ChatGPT can produce plausible‑sounding but completely invented facts, citations, and quotes. Microsoft’s Copilot documentation tells users to apply four verification checks: Is the source material reflected accurately? Are names, dates, and numbers verified? Is any crucial context missing? Would the advice still hold true in a different situation?

But responsible AI use also means protecting your own privacy. Make it a habit from day one:
- Never paste passwords, ID numbers, financial information, private conversations, or confidential work documents into a public AI tool.
- When practicing on sensitive material, replace real names with placeholders and strip out identifying details.
- If you’re using AI for schoolwork, check your institution’s policy on AI assistance and always disclose how you used the tool if required.

The course’s curriculum reportedly addresses these data‑privacy and verification concerns directly — a sign that its designers view AI literacy as more than just typing clever prompts.

Outlook: localized AI education is catching on

This regional initiative matters because it meets young people where they are — geographically, economically, and skill‑wise. Not everyone can pay for premium AI courses or travel to conferences. A free, online, self‑paced program tailored to local Balkan learners and delivered in accessible language can lower the barrier between curiosity and competence.

If successful, the Coca‑Cola‑backed model could inspire similar partnerships in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe. For now, the immediate opportunity is clear: from August 1, young adults in Serbia and Montenegro have a structured, risk‑free entry point into AI tools that are already shaping the global job market. Taking it seriously — not just as a certification checkbox but as a launchpad for ongoing practice — could be the difference between watching AI from the sidelines and making it work for you.