Cooperation of the Silesian University of Technology with IBM Poland - new educational offer
The Silesian University of Technology has signed a cooperation agreement with IBM Polska Sp. z o.o. on the construction of innovative educational programs, which on one hand respond to the needs of the rapidly changing labour market, and on the other, thanks to the developed expert competences, will contribute to the project cooperation between the University of Technology and IBM in the long run.
The program is called “IT Specialization.” Thanks to this initiative, students of the Silesian University of Technology will be able to take part in a series of trainings and gain confirmation of additional skills in the form of digital credentials and Student Subject Matter Expert certificates.
The initial phase of the program includes the following areas: Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, DataScience and CloudComputing, implemented in the form of Learning Plans, which consist of theoretical classes, exercises in a simulation environment and practical exercises requiring the use of software and specialized equipment. It is worth noting that an important element of the training are practical aspects of the use of the discussed technologies, presented in the form of case studies (Case Studies) and, in the case of more advanced modules, as individual project tasks (Capstone Projects).
“IT Specialization” is a form of parallel education offered at the Silesian University of Technology, which after the opening phase will be developed both quantitatively and, in the field, i.e. it will cover more areas of broadly understood IT knowledge and skills.
-“Artificial Intelligence methods are the basis of the global digital revolution, both in the area of technological and socio-economic transformations. New opportunities often involve breakthrough solutions that exploit the potential of large language models, machine learning and visual analysis to automate not only industrial processes but also decision-making processes in high-complexity systems. Thanks to the cooperation with IBM, which provides the wealth of its solutions and experience in the field of artificial intelligence applications, the education offer of the Silesian University of Technology will be significantly enriched. We are planning a joint organization of trainings completed by students obtaining micro credentials (so-called Digital Credentials) and Student Subject Matter Expert certificates. Gradually, we want to expand this offer by the fields of artificial intelligence applications related to the priority research areas of the Silesian University of Technology.” – said Prof. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk, the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology:
Mr. Marcin Gajdziński, CEO of IBM Poland, Baltic States and Ukraine, emphasizes the importance of this cooperation. - “The market already needs highly qualified specialists, but not only those who will create new solutions, optimize algorithms and train models, but also thousands of professional recipients of this technology, operating in various “non-IT” fields, who will decide where and how to use GEN AI to ensure the improvement of the quality of services provided, customer satisfaction, sales volume or other strictly business parameters, the improvement of which will be the actual metric of implemented technologies. What’s more, the changes that we are seeing and will be observing are so fundamental that probably many of the current students, graduating from the well in a few years, will be working in occupations that do not yet exist. I am glad that thanks to the cooperation with the Silesian University of Technology, we can offer a flexible approach to education, in which students decide for themselves in what area they want to specialize, and we will try to reward the best with distinctions and certificates.” – said Mr. Gajdziński.
Students and employees of the Silesian University of Technology will also gain access to: IBM software, cloud resources, specialized courses and dedicated educational paths.
As part of the cooperation between the Silesian University of Technology and IBM Polska, a platform will be created at the University’s IT Centre, allowing to conduct work on the use of large language models (LLM) and IBM watsonx in education, research, and implementation projects.
Modern information technologies are the main generator of competitive advantage in every area of the economy. Hence the constantly growing scale and pace of their implementation and adoption, characteristic especially for leaders of individual industries.
An ideal example of such a “trend” can be generative artificial intelligence, the proper application of which allows for a much better use of all available resources, including data, more efficient drawing of conclusions, automation and optimization of hundreds of business processes, ERP, CRM, SCM systems, etc.
Therefore, practical workshops on AI and Generative AI based on IBM Granite and IBM watsonx will be launched, and thanks to the appropriately reinforced hardware infrastructure of the University Information Centre, a wide range of students, including those not directly related to IT, will be able to familiarize themselves with the practical aspects of the use of Artificial Intelligence, which will prepare them for the challenges of the future labour market.
