Open P-TECH supplies college students and educators entry to digital studying in areas together with AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity

ARMONK, N.Y., Could 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — At its Think Digital conference today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) introduced the launch of Open P-TECH, a free digital schooling platform centered on office studying and digital expertise. The platform, constructing on the business main P-TECH program, equips 14-20-year previous learners and educators with foundational know-how competencies. Coaching in applied sciences equivalent to AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity, together with skilled expertise, like Design Considering, which might be extremely valued out there set Open P-TECH aside. It provides content material in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

Ginni Rometty, IBM Government Chairman, will talk about the platform as a part of a broader dialogue on the way forward for schooling, expertise improvement and the digital workforce within the post-COVID-19 period as a part of the Assume Digital convention on Could 5 at 1pm ET and 9pm ET, register here to attend. She will probably be joined by musician, businessman, and philanthropist will.i.am, Founder and CEO of I.AM+.

“Because the pandemic accelerates digital transformation, new methods of studying should hold tempo if we’re to equip all younger folks with expertise related to the digital period and market,” stated Ginni Rometty, IBM Government Chairman. “On the one hand, this can be a large problem; on the opposite, this presents an ideal alternative to higher put together folks for brand spanking new collar careers.  Open P-TECH is a free platform designed to supply related office expertise to anybody on the planet to allow them to achieve success on this digital period.”

First launched by IBM in 2011, the P-TECH (Pathways to Know-how Early School Excessive Faculty) mannequin has been adopted in 220 faculties throughout 24 international locations with over 150,000 college students and 600 company companions. Open P-TECH scales essentially the most important office preparation components of the P-TECH program making them out there to extra college students than ever earlier than. Open P-TECH supplies modules for college kids and academics that embrace programs on rising applied sciences and programs on skilled competencies, each resulting in free digital badges that college students can share on their on-line resumes. Utilizing the platform, college students making ready for internships and new collar jobs earn the identical badges as professionals within the discipline. In tandem with this, IBM is providing on-line webinars on a wide range of office subjects, together with actions that college students can interact in over the summer time. Initially launched throughout Australia, Brazil, India and the US, Open P-TECH will deliver elements of the P-TECH mannequin to 250,000 extra college students in these international locations, a lot of whom would in any other case not have entry to modern digital studying.

In Brazil, for instance, Bradesco will probably be deploying Open P-TECH to greater than 9,000 highschool college students, making this system out there for these most in want.

“Since 1956, Fundação Bradesco has provided free, high quality schooling to 1000’s of scholars in Brazil. We perceive that valuing schooling is the one technique to face challenges and promote constructive social and financial impacts,” stated Jefferson Romon, Deputy Director of Fundação Bradesco. “With Open P-TECH and IBM, we’re taking one other step within the evolution of our digital schooling methodology in order that the following technology of execs has the promising future they deserve,” he added.

IBM believes that corporations bringing superior applied sciences to market have a accountability to organize college students and staff for the way in which these applied sciences will form jobs and the character of our work. Innovation ought to unlock alternatives to make our workforce extra inclusive, not much less.  Along with Open P-TECH, the corporate’s efforts to broaden the pipeline for know-how jobs embrace:

• The IBM Tech Re-Entry Program is a paid returnship for technical professionals who’ve been out of the workforce for at the very least 24 months and need to re-enter the workforce. This system supplies members coaching, entry to instruments and know-how, mentorship, and work assignments on technical initiatives which might be matched to their experience.
• The IBM Apprenticeship Program, which is registered with the U.S. Division of Labor, features a 12-24 month program that pairs apprentices with an IBM mentor to work on precise IBM initiatives in know-how’s fastest-growing fields, equivalent to cybersecurity, mainframe administration and software program improvement.

Open P-TECH is now out there to college students and academics worldwide. Register right here: https://open.ptech.org

About IBM Assume Digital
At Assume Digital 2020, IBM will talk about the state of enterprise and the function of essential applied sciences, equivalent to AI and Cloud, as shoppers speed up restoration and digital transformation within the wake of COVID-19.

Go to https://www.ibm.com/events/think/watch for the complete schedule and livestream agenda, and to observe the entire programming—together with IBM CEO Arvind Krishna’s keynote, “The New Important Applied sciences for Enterprise,” on Could 5 at 11:15 am ET and 7:15 pm ET.

Observe the convention on Twitter at #suppose2020 and @ibmlive. For extra info, go to the IBM Assume 2020 Newsroom: https://newsroom.ibm.com/think.

IBM Media Contact
Katie Leasor
kleasor@us.ibm.com