Springboard, the online learning platform preparing students for in-demand careers through mentor- and instructor-led programmes, has announced the launch of a new course offering for university partners: a machine learning engineering and AI Bootcamp. The programme aims to teach core skills essential for today’s employment and future careers that still need to be created through hands-on projects and practical exercises.
The curriculum focuses on upskilling students to confidently develop and deploy scalable machine learning models while also exploring ethical considerations and learning how to build AI models that are fair, transparent and unbiased. The bootcamp integrates artificial intelligence content and dives into advanced topics, such as large language models and generative AI, through units on deep learning, data preprocessing, natural language processing and computer vision. Students gain proficiency in popular frameworks and tools like TensorFlow, Scikit-Learn and AWS.
The programme is designed to cater to busy working professionals seeking flexible opportunities to help them upskill and advance their careers. Participants are not required to enrol as university students. The first three institutions to offer Springboard courses are the University of California San Diego Extended Studies (UC San Diego Extended Studies), which has made a major AI curriculum update to the original machine learning course that launched with Springboard in January 2021, the University of Massachusetts Global (UMass Global), which forged its partnership with Springboard in January 2022, and the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), which began offering Springboard courses in April 2022.
Enrollment for the cohorts through UC San Diego Extended Studies, UMass Global and UMGC is now open. Prospective students can sign up anytime to be assigned to an affiliate. Scholarships and financing are available for eligible students, and graduates will receive certificates of completion after finishing the course.
Speaking about the development, Ricardo Lorenzana, Dean & Vice-Chancellor, Partnerships at the UMass Global School of Extended Education, said:
AI is rapidly and dramatically altering the future of education and work, making it increasingly vital for our students to have access to cutting-edge tech learning to secure their dream jobs. We have been thrilled with the success of the Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Data Science and Software Engineering courses that we offer in partnership with Springboard. We are excited to add a new offering for the most sought-after tech skills into our curriculum.
Springboard and its university partners are preparing students for the future of technology, as the World Economic Forum predicts that more than 97 million jobs in engineering and research will be generated by 2025, with machine learning and artificial intelligence at the forefront. The popularity of generative AI has raised demand for this training, as a recent survey indicated that 65% of Springboard students believe learning how to apply AI to the topic they are studying is very important.
Colin Lumsden, Vice President of Business Development at Springboard, commented:
We are committed to providing our university partners with turn-key solutions they can implement efficiently as AI quickly evolves. Students demand their education adapt at the same pace as new technologies. We are honoured to partner with UC San Diego, UMass Global and UMGC to offer this course, and we look forward to rolling it out further through collaborations with more schools.
Springboard has helped more than 20,000 students around the globe build the skills to transform their careers. The company’s market-driven curriculums are developed by industry professionals with firsthand experience who consult hiring managers at top tech companies for input on the skills they seek in candidates. Students spend most of their time working on real-world projects and creating portfolios showcasing their passion and demonstrating their abilities to potential employers. They also have regular one-on-one calls with industry mentors who work in the field and receive guidance from career coaches on building a network and landing a job. About 92% of job-qualified individuals who reported receiving an offer received it within 12 months of graduation from companies such as Amazon, Boeing, IBM and J.P. Morgan.
