Community colleges unite to scale AI workforce education

By

Shalin Jyotishi

This article was produced as part of New America'sFuture of Work and the Innovation Economy Initiative. Subscribe to ourFuture of Work Bulletin newsletterto stay current on our latest research, events, and writing.

In recent years, community and technical colleges have emerged as an underappreciated destination for AI education, stepping up to meet employer needs.

AI educational offerings exist at community colleges in most U.S. states. They range from non-credit and credit-bearing certificates to associate's degrees and, most recently, applied bachelor's degrees; nearly half of U.S. states permit their community colleges to offer applied baccalaureates.

Unfortunately, community colleges often face underinvestment compared to their university counterparts, and many need to build their capacity to teach effectively in emerging technology fields, which are subject to more uncertainty than established occupations. A national consortium formed by and for community colleges is set to meet that need for the AI workforce.

With a $2.8 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant, Miami Dade College, in partnership with Houston Community College and Maricopa County Community College District, is launching the National Applied Artificial Intelligence Consortium. The consortium will work to scale the access and improve the quality of AI and workforce training at community colleges.

The three institutions were early leaders in creating AI offerings at the community college level. Miami Dade, Houston, and Chandler-Gilbert Community College, a part of the Maricopa Community College District, were among the first colleges in the nation to be approved to offer applied baccalaureates in AI. The colleges will work together to promote best practices and address shared challenges with colleges nationwide.

"This collaboration among our three colleges represents a significant leap towards bridging the AI skills gap and creating transformative opportunities for our students," Steven Gonzales, Chancellor of the Maricopa County Community College District.

Miami Dade President Madeline Pumariega, who has written about the college's approach to AI education, said she was "proud" of Miami Dade College's role as a national leader in AI workforce development and that the college was "honored to be entrusted with this important initiative."

Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher of Houston Community College, the first two-year institution to launch an associate's degree in AI in Texas and the first community college in the nation to launch a bachelor's degree in AI and robotics, said the initiative "aligns perfectly with our mission to prepare students for jobs of the future."

The consortium will be administered by faculty and staff from the three institutions co-led by Eduardo Salcedo, Lead AI faculty, and Antonio Delgado, Vice President for Technology Partnerships at Miami Dade College, who serves as a New America Future of Work & Innovation Economy Fellow. Over the next three years, the consortium will help accomplish three overarching objectives:

• Promote an AI BILT model: Help colleges improve employer advisory committees through the Business & Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model, a recognized best practice that puts colleges and employers as co-creators of curricula. The consortia will leverage BIL to collectively identify, update, and disseminate the knowledge and skill needs of college graduates to be AI workforce-ready.
• Focus on ethical AI: Support community colleges in developing technician-level AI courses and credentials that emphasize ethics and responsible use of AI, including creating a repository of applied AI courses and resources sourced across NSF Advanced Technology Education centers and other national organizations.
• Faculty development: Support colleges with professional development for faculty to teach AI. The consortium will hire experts from industry and faculty from established colleges to serve as mentors to community colleges new to AI education. Each mentor will provide college support for one academic year.

The consortium has enlisted the support of several industry partners, including Intel, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Dell, IBM, and NVIDIA. In the last few years, many of these tech companies, including Intel and Amazon, have provided funding, partnership opportunities, and technical assistance to help community colleges create these programs.

The consortium aims to leverage industry resources while ensuring that colleges are well-positioned to meet the needs of small and medium-sized employers. "This balance of large, medium and small companies will create strong pathways to employment for the students that will graduate from our AI programs," Delgado told me in an email statement.

Employer advocacy and research alike have affirmed the need for community college AI education, but more work is needed to ensure these programs are quality and lead to gainful employment. Earlier this year, New America published the first-ever series of interviews of community college students in AI programs, which provided important lessons for AI educators and policymakers, including the value of work-based learning and community college baccalaureates.

Led by and designed for community colleges, the National Applied Artificial Intelligence Consortium is the latest national resource available to foster an AI-ready skilled technical workforce. The consortium's website invites community colleges interested in AI capacity building to join its newsletter to receive updates on opportunities to engage with activities expected to launch on October 1, 2024.