A new global epidemic has taken storm. No, it’s not contagious. It’s the lack of IT talent in the market.
Academics Meets Business
In a bid to plug that gap, Republic Polytechnic has rolled out a new Specialist Diploma in Applied Artificial Intelligence. The launch was made official at the annual RP Technology Day, themed “Enabling Your Digital Transformation Journey”. Professionals and academics come together to share the latest technology trends, insights and best practices within the industry. New partnerships between RP and participating organisations are fostered at the event.
The event program features Robotics Process Automation, Internet of Things and Data Analytics, Digital Business and Artificial Intelligence.
Two Memorandums of Understanding were signed at RP Technology Day. The first was with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Signify (previously known as Philips Lighting).
On their social media page, an ICT solutions provider also announced a partnership with Republic Polytechnic. Under the partnership, the private company will pursue new opportunities in user experience, gamification, AR/VR and ICT to develop user-centred digital services. Internship and employment opportunities are also extended to the Polytechnic’s students and graduates majoring in these fields. RP students and alumni are promised to work on research and development projects hosted by the ICT solutions company.
Specialist Diploma in Applied AI
A course for working professionals, the course was created to meet the growing demand for skilled AI professionals. Students of the course will be taught necessary concepts and know-how in developing comprehensive AI solutions. Classes begin October and 270 hours of coursework must be completed.
The main mode of learning are hands-on projects and the examination of case studies of AI applications in recommender systems, virtual assistant, pattern recognition and anomaly detection.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be conferred two Post-Diploma Certificates. Each certificate has four modules.
The first Post-Diploma Certificate is in Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence. Modules to be read are math for machine learning, introduction to programming, introduction to data management for machine learning, and machine learning fundamentals.
The program is a holistic one. For example, starting with math for machine learning, students will use their understanding for considerations of accuracy, training time, model complexity, number of parameters and number of features to choose the right algorithm, tuning and optimisation of the model. Thereafter, students will also learn Python to solve problems for coding software programs. The Data Management for Machine Learning teaches students open-source data platform and framework. Closing the loop, machine learning fundamentals covers basic grounds. Students will be taught the basic of Markov decision processes and reinforcement learning.
The second Post-Diploma Certificate is in Applications of Artificial Intelligence. Modules to be read are pattern recognition and anomaly detection, recommender systems, and virtual assistants. Students will also be required to complete a capstone project. Competencies in architecting, designing and building AI solutions will be tested based on problem statements submitted by Industry Partners.
Suitable candidates for the Specialist Diploma in Applied AI are those with a local polytechnic Diploma or Degree in Information Technology or Computer Science. Furthermore, potential candidates should have at least two years of relevant work experience. For candidates who do not possess these qualifications, Republic Polytechnic will review the applications on a case-by-case basis.
More information can be found here.
