Miami Dade College (MDC) is partnering with Texas-based Houston Community College (HCC) and Arizona-based Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) to create the National Applied Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NAAIC), an initiative that aims to foster the growth of technician-level artificial intelligence (AI) professionals across the nation.
“We are proud of Miami Dade College’s role as a national leader in AI education and workforce development,” said Madeline Pumariega, who is president of Florida-based MDC. “It is an honor to be entrusted with this important initiative and work alongside other excellent institutions to establish best practices and grow the AI talent pool.”
The initiative’s goal is to have the NAAIC serve as a national reference and resource hub for AI education and training, providing leadership, guidance, and support for community colleges that want to develop or enhance their AI programs and courses. The initiative will also work to advance the education and training of a diverse and highly skilled technical workforce in the field of AI and prepare students for rewarding careers in AI-related fields.
To fund the NAAIC, the colleges received $2.8 million from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program.
“We are proud to join the NAAIC initiative,” said Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, chancellor of MCCCD. “Collaboration among the three institutions will allow us to bridge the AI skills gap and develop transformative learning opportunities for our students,” he said. “By embedding advanced AI training into our curriculum, MCCCD will equip the next generation of professionals with the experience needed to drive innovation and spur economic growth, creating both a national and global impact.”
In addition to the colleges working together, NAAIC will also rely on an expansive network of industry partners such as Intel, AWS, Microsoft, Dell, IBM and NVIDIA, among others, that will provide AI resources to consortium members.
NAAIC will also engage a National AI Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) to identify the current and emerging needs of the AI workforce and ensure that the curriculum and competencies of community colleges align with industry standards and expectations.
