Houston Community College is partnering with two other colleges to train future artificial intelligence professionals.
Miami Dade College in Florida, in partnership with HCC and Maricopa County Community College District in the Phoenix area, was awarded $2.8 million from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program. The institutions will use the funding to create the National Applied Artificial Intelligence Consortium, an initiative to develop a national AI workforce.
Industry partners such as Intel, Microsoft, Dell, IBM, Nvidia and Amazon Web Services will provide AI resources to consortium members, according to a news release. The NAAIC will develop a national AI business and industry leadership team to ensure curriculums match AI workforce demands.
HCC already partnered with Amazon Web Services' Machine Learning University to teach database, artificial intelligence and machine learning concepts. That free program launched in late 2022. The college also has worked with Intel, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google and Apple on other programs, Community Impact reported earlier this year.
The NAAIC represents another opportunity for HCC to build on its involvement in AI. HCC was the first community college in Texas to offer an AI associate degree program and the first in the nation to launch a Bachelor of Applied Technology degree in AI and robotics, according to a press release. The bachelor's degree began in fall 2023, two years after the associate's degree.
“HCC is pleased to be part of the consortium. This initiative aligns perfectly with our commitment to innovation and our mission to prepare students for the jobs of the future,” HCC Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher said. “Together with leading institutions and industry partners, we are advancing AI education and empowering our students to be pioneers in this rapidly evolving field.”
MDC also is launching a bachelor's degree program in AI, making it the first college or university in Florida to offer a four-year degree in that subject.
The rise of AI is changing the way businesses and industries operate. That includes workforce requirements.
The Houston area ranks No. 31 in an analysis of 50 major U.S. metropolitan areas at most risk of losing jobs to AI, according to a report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. About 12.5% of all jobs in the region could disappear due to automation in the coming years, equivalent to about 381,910 positions lost. Meanwhile, the Miami is No. 2 with about 15% of jobs at risk, and the Phoenix area is No. 7 with about 14%.
