Community colleges and AI programs

For students wanting to a career required skills in artificial intelligence (AI), enrolling in one of many AI programs at community colleges across the country is a good way to gain the necessary skills to land a job upon completion.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, community colleges experienced a 2.6 percent enrollment growth (opens in a new window) in 2023. Among program with a strong vocational focus, the growth was estimated to be about 16 percent.

A Georgetown University report (opens in a new window) predicts that by 2031 about 30 percent of jobs will require either an associate degree or at least a college certificate with job-specific skills and 42 percent of jobs will require a bachelor’s degree.

Intel partnering with community colleges

According to Intel, one of the leading companies in partnering with community colleges around the country to provide AI workforce programs, more than 110 community colleges across 39 states are now a part of the AI for Workforce program. (opens in a new window) The program provides colleges with professional training, AI content and guidance for program implementation in return for efforts to provide either an AI certificate or AI associate degree program.

A critical element for students to look for is opportunities to get hands-on experience in the field. A growing number of AI programs offer students either direct partnerships with tech employers or opportunities for internships or apprenticeships in the tech field.

AI offers good pay

According to an article in Fast Company (opens in a new window) , students who graduate with an associate degree in AI programs are commonly offered positions in the $80,000-a-year range, a previously rarely seen number for a two-year degree, even if it isn’t at the same level as gaudy figures bandied about in headline stories touting the lucrative nature of some AI positions.

Plenty of program options

Community college baccalaureate programs are gradually becoming more important, as students can attain an associate degree in a tech-related field and go on to a more affordable bachelor’s degree that will provide them with access to higher-paying jobs. The lower cost allows them to test out a field before committing to a four-year program.

For career changers who already possess a bachelor’s or advanced degree community colleges’ flexibility presents a great opportunity. While the associate degree is the most widely-seen path and bachelor’s programs are an option, AI programs also include bootcamps, short-term certificates and robust, high-credit certificates. A number of community colleges now offer fully remote bootcamps that can measure hours spent on the course with the culmination being to prepare students for a real-world certification, such as the Microsoft Azure AI certification.

Community colleges working to meet industry needs

In general, because of a university’s emphasis on research and a community college’s focus on more hands-on learning, new AI programs offer students programs more closely aligned to local community needs and more specifically to local employer needs. Intel isn’t the only tech leader partnering with community colleges. For instance, Houston Community College’s AI program has established partnerships with tech companies Intel, Microsoft and Amazon.

In fact, tech leaders Amazon, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Nvidia have worked with community colleges throughout the country to offer curriculum material, access to their tech, and teacher training. A number of large tech companies are investing millions of dollars to support community colleges as a way of building a new talent pipeline, especially as a means of building greater diversity and inclusion among underrepresented communities in the tech field.