Certified AI Professional course developed with AWS

The Australian Institute of ICT (AIICT) has introduced a new ‘Certified Artificial Intelligence Professional’ course, jointly developed with Amazon Web Services (AWS) for aspiring AI developers and machine learning (ML) professionals.

The course enables novice practitioners who are interested in entering the field of AI to become job-ready engineers in just six months. A skill assessment evaluates the student’s current skills and experience, but the only prerequisites are a basic understanding of mathematics and statistics or relevant industry experience, such as an internship.

According to the 2020 IT Skills and Salary Report, ‘AI, cognitive computing and machine learning’ was reported as the second weakest IT skillset in organisations across the world, presenting serious hiring challenges for IT managers.

The lack of skilled AI professionals forms part of a broader technology skills shortage in Australia, with new research commissioned by AWS revealing that Australia will require an additional 6.5 million newly skilled and reskilled digital workers by 2025 to meet future demand for technology skills —  an increase of 79% on current numbers.

Jon Lang, CEO of AIICT, said the shortages are noticeable.

“We’re seeing a severe shortage of skilled AI professionals and in many instances, organisations are simply unable to fill these roles. With AI and ML becoming a critical part of the digital transformation process for many organisations, the demand is on the rise for engineers with these specific skills across a wide range of industries.

“At AIICT, we are committed to providing all our students with the most contemporary, relevant and future-focused skills. Together with AWS we hope to address the skyrocketing demand in the AI field and support those looking to start their career as an AI engineer,” Lang said.

The Certified Artificial Intelligence Professional course prepares individuals for a role as an entry-level AI developer or machine learning engineer. Through its unique Industry Partner Program, AIICT connects recent graduates with leading employers to help them secure a frontline role, while simultaneously tackling skills shortages in the field.

The course incorporates three globally recognised AWS certifications, including AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified Data Analytics and AWS Certified Machine Learning, as well as the TensorFlow Developer Certificate.

The hands-on course places a high focus on the development of real-world skills and provides students with access to unique ‘live labs’, which enable them to practise developing and deploying machine learning models in a simulated work environment.

The course platform also includes video content, quizzes, expert led webinars and direct access to online mentorship from industry experts, who are on hand to guide students through the course material.

AIICT operates using a self-paced course schedule, which is not bound by the traditional academic structures of terms and semesters. The flexible learning options allow students to build an online learning schedule around their life and encourages people who may not have considered a career in AI as an option previously, to undertake training. The platform also allows students to join a community of like-minded individuals for communication and collaboration as they progress through the course.

Key learning outcomes include:

• understanding the fundamentals of AI/ML processes and concepts, and elements of data science
• learning the key concepts of cloud computing with a deep dive into AWS
• gaining skills in Python, SQL JavaScript and Deep Learning
• learning how to build scalable AI-powered algorithms with TensorFlow
• exploring ML toolsets and processes to build models with Amazon SageMaker and computer visions based on smart applications
• understanding data analytics and its application to AWS.
   

Further information and the full Certified Artificial Intelligence Professional course guide can be found here.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/AndSus