Workforce Readiness

Miami Dade College and IBM Initiative to Support Faculty Training, Next-Gen Skills

• By Rhea Kelly
• 04/27/21

Miami Dade College is collaborating with IBM on a spate of workforce development offerings, including expanded faculty training as well as digital courses in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity and quantum computing. The goal: to "enable students of diverse backgrounds and experiences to have access to strategic skills necessary to help them succeed in a rapidly changing workplace," according to a news announcement.

The work will focus on four areas:

• As part of the MDC/IBM Skills Academy Academic Initiative, IBM Global University Programs will donate guest lectures, curriculum content, digital badges, software, faculty training and more (totaling more than $10 million in assets), to help provide a foundation of in-demand skills to MDC students and community members.
• Working with IBM's Academic Initiative and IBM Skills Academy, a new Artificial Intelligence Center at MDC will focus on applied AI, making artificial intelligence relevant across diverse curriculum areas. The center will be open to students in any discipline who want to learn new technologies.
• IBM and MDC will continue their efforts to help MDC students identify and apply for job opportunities at IBM.
• A pool of volunteer IBM Academic Ambassadors will offer guest lectures, mentoring, curriculum advice to faculty and students. Select ambassadors with deep expertise will serve on specialized advisory boards, to help plan strategic skills initiatives for faculty, students and community members.  

"As a leader in workforce innovation and development, MDC is poised to meet the growing demand for technology experts across the country," said MDC President Madeline Pumariega, in a statement. "We are proud to collaborate with IBM to support our nation's recovery through innovative workforce training and education initiatives. IBM´s extraordinary investment in MDC underscores our potential to execute visionary partnerships that provide students, and South Florida at large, the ultimate edge to seize new opportunities."