Miami Dade College and IBM reinforce commitment to empowering a diverse and inclusive workforce through skills building and workforce enablement offerings
Miami, April 20, 2021 – Miami Dade College (MDC), an economic, cultural, and civic leader for the advancement of a diverse global community, and IBM, a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider, will collaborate on a joint mission to enable students of diverse backgrounds and experiences to have access to strategic skills necessary to help them succeed in a rapidly changing workplace.
To make this vision a reality, MDC and IBM will collaborate on building unique workforce enablement offerings that serve MDC students, as well as faculty and the community at large. New offerings will build on and expand MDC’s already successful programs by training faculty and offering digital courses in key areas, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and quantum computing.
“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. “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.”
“As we continue to anticipate the needs of a rapidly growing technology industry, we’re collaborating with Miami Dade College to equip students, faculty and the community at large with the resources to attract, train and empower a diverse and inclusive workforce,” said Jeff Welser, Vice President, Exploratory Science and University Collaborations, IBM Research. “Through our skills building programs, we aim to address common barriers of entry to emerging technological fields, including artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud computing and quantum computing.”
“We have witnessed the impact of these dynamic programs in recent years in getting our students employed upon completion. This support can be a gamechanger for so many,” said Antonio Delgado, Dean of Engineering, Technology and Design at MDC. “This partnership builds on the many existing short and traditional programs we offer in technology and which support Miami’s expanding tech ecosystem.”
IBM and MDC will focus on four pillars to support the joint vision for Diversity and Workforce Development:
- IBM Global University Programs will donate more than $10 million in assets over the next three years, including guest lectures, curriculum content, digital badges, software, and faculty training as part of the MDC / IBM Skills Academy Academic Initiative. This will facilitate a comprehensive, integrated program designed to provide a foundation of diverse and high demand skills that directly address the needs of MDC students and community members to thrive in the workplace.
- MDC’s future Artificial Intelligence Center will be leveraged with a focus on applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), a much different approach than the typical AI research center – one that will be relevant across curriculum, not just those studying technology. The center will be open to other majors who want to learn new technologies. IBM’s Academic Initiative and IBM Skills Academy will provide the strategic platform for these new offerings. The future lies with new visionary technologies, but they must be familiar and available to all students of all ages and disciplines.
- Job placement opportunities are key to workforce development efforts. MDC is currently part of IBM’s digital strategy for hiring. IBM and MDC will continue to explore opportunities for MDC students to identify and apply for job opportunities at IBM, especially those students completing IBM Skills Academy courses.
- Volunteer IBM Academic Ambassadors will be offering guest lectures, mentoring, curriculum advice, and other advice digitally and on campus to faculty and students. Qualified Ambassadors with deep expertise will also be nominated to specific Advisory Boards. This pool of IBMers can make a real difference in faculty and students acquiring critical new knowledge, as well as planning for strategic skills initiatives for faculty, students, and community members.
“Skills are the most important issue of our time, and we need to equip students with the right skills to participate in the digital economy. As part of this new collaboration, we will work closely with Miami Dade College to ensure curricula addresses industry needs and trends so both students and faculty have an opportunity to develop the skills needed today for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Naguib Attia, Vice President of IBM Global University Programs.
IBM Media Contact
Kortney Easterly, External Relations, IBM Research, 404-405-0301, kortney.easterly@ibm.com