Alabama Education Gets An AI Revamp, Thanks To This Local Startup
It’s easy to get caught up in the headlines about if and when artificial intelligence will replace your job. Those in traditional tech, graphic design, media, marketing, and legal roles have no doubt read about how AI could impact their jobs in the near term.
But what about educators? With all the doom and gloom about AI and the future of work, how are teachers talking to their students about job opportunities?
It turns out that Alabama educators are embracing the rise of AI.
Birmingham-based microlearning QuantHub, in partnership with the Alabama State Department of Education, recently launched a new data science and AI-focused skills training program to help ensure students are ready for our AI-future.
The goal is for 38,000 K-12 students to use QuantHub’s data literacy platform in the coming year. That could help more Alabama students become workforce ready…whatever that workforce might look like with AI.
“By integrating QuantHub's advanced training software into our educational framework, we are not only preparing our students for the future of work but also ensuring that Alabama remains competitive in the rapidly evolving digital economy,” said Alabama State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey in a press statement.
New Opportunities, New Internships
On top of the training program, QuantHub is working with Innovate Alabama to launch the Alabama Future of AI Internship Program in 2024 for juniors and seniors across the state.
Kelsey Bickett, QuantHub’s Internship Program Manager, told Hypepotamus that they are hoping to work with anywhere from 25 to 30 students through its 2024 program and will teach “marketable” data science skills like statistics, data analysis, data visualizations/ storytelling, and introductory coding.
“We are currently recruiting companies and welcome participation from any Alabama-based employer using data to guide business decisions or address complex problems. We are particularly interested in organizations utilizing artificial intelligence (AI)/ machine learning, as the program will introduce students to these topics and help them understand the wide range of career opportunities available to them if they continue developing their data science skills,” Bickett added.
The program will be tailored to fit the needs of both employers and interns.
QuantHub will focus its recruiting efforts on rural and underserved parts of Alabama.
“[We] hope that by internship exit, they are equipped with not only the technical knowledge and competencies needed to succeed in data science/ AI, but a network of peer and mentor support and feeling of belonging in the field!” Bickett added.
Student progress will be tracked through the AI-driven QuantHub skills training platform.
“We also hope to see shifts in participating students' career/ academic plans and sense of professional identity."
Candidates will be selected in February, so prospective interns are encouraged to apply early, and the internship session will span approximately 8 weeks between May-July 2024.
Most internships will allow hybrid or remote participation, said the QuantHub team.
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Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
