Artificial Intelligence Skills Bootcamp at the University of Huddersfield

October 2021 sees the University of Huddersfield deliver an Artificial Intelligence Skills Bootcamp that will connect people to employment.

Commencing on Monday 18 October and funded through the National Skills Fund as part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs, this sixteen-week AI Skills Bootcamp will provide learners with the opportunity to build both their tech and non-tech skills, therefore enabling them to be fast-tracked to an interview with an employer.

Working with employers, local authorities and a consortium of universities, led by the Institute of Coding, this skills bootcamp will support learners from across the UK to develop personalised learning and employment plans, alongside a range of Artificial Intelligence and transferable skills.

The Skills Bootcamp will combine interdisciplinary expertise from across the University including a team from Computer Science, led by Professor Richard Hill, a team from Huddersfield Business School, led by Dr Abdul Jabbar, and the University’s Careers and Employability Service, led by Dave Stanbury.

Professor Rupert Ward, who is leading the AI Skills Bootcamp at the University of Huddersfield, said: “The Skills Economy is rapidly evolving, both in the UK and globally. Employees are expected to reskill in response to these changes, and job applicants need to demonstrate they have in demand skills in order to be selected for interview.

“Our Skills Bootcamp is being provided in response to a local and national need from employers for Artificial Intelligence capabilities. Learners will understand how they can use AI within a variety of workplace roles alongside planning and preparing for their future career. The course will focus on supporting and developing independent learners with a broad understanding of technology, digital skills and how they can contribute to the Skills Economy.”

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly underpinning large aspects of the digital economy, automating how organisations and society function. Autonomous systems, intelligent systems that can act independently to accomplish goals based on their knowledge and understanding of their environment, are already being used to complete a broad range of tasks.  

The delivery content will be developed in partnership with iDEA who will host content through its web-based learning platform in the form of a series of bite-sized online modules (or “digital badges”).

iDEA is the global market leader in digital badging and specialises in designing and delivering content to learners in a way that is fun, approachable, engaging and motivational. iDEA badges can be done independently, in a group, or in a classroom setting, enabling learners to develop a broad range of both technical and soft skills learning on their own or through instruction from academics as part of this Skills Bootcamp.

LinkedIn Learning content is also being incorporated into the delivery to provide an adaptable learning approach catering to the needs of a broad range of learners across the UK.

Online learning

The Skills Bootcamp will be delivered online and will address current barriers to digital skills employment such as; gender, BAME and accessibility imbalances. Learners will cover the background and requirements for intelligent systems autonomy in a wide range of applications, taken from a computer science and software-orientated viewpoint. As well as the technical challenges of system autonomy, learners will study ethical and legal issues, and human factors implications. All content will be available to access at any time if learners cannot make any of the taught sessions.

Working collaboratively with the Institute of Coding will ensure that the Skills Bootcamp journey is high-quality and tailored to meet the needs of employers and those looking to upskill to boost their employability.

If you are a prospective learner or employer and are interested in learning more about the AI Skills Bootcamp, please visit our website.