EDC and Partners to Build Artificial Intelligence Literacy within U.S. Workforce

EDC, in collaboration with five community college partners, has been awarded nearly $2 million dollars as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) literate workforce. The new work builds on EDC’s long history of successful work to prepare youth and adults for the human-technology frontier and advances EDC’s key objectives to foster a future-ready workforce.

Led by EDC distinguished scholar and workforce education expert Joyce Malyn-Smith, the new project is titled Integrating Artificial Intelligence Literacy into Community College Programs. This project adds to decades of EDC initiatives focused on industry skill standards, career and technical education, work-based learning programs, and support for entrepreneurs and new business owners.

Integrating AI Literacy into Community College Programs builds on an existing strong partnership between EDC and five community colleges that has focused on developing robust data science programs to prepare two-year college students to meet the growing demand for data technicians across fields. The five partner colleges include Green River College in Washington, Bridgerland Technical College in Utah, Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts, Harford Community College in Maryland, and Nashville State Community College in Tennessee.

Over the next five years, EDC and partner colleges will work together to develop AI literacy among students and staff, develop pathways to four-year AI degree programs, ensure AI courses align with local industry skill demands, and build faculty capacity to teach AI literacy.

“We are so excited by the opportunity this new NSF award gives EDC and our partners to prepare students for the multiplicity of AI-enabled careers,” Malyn-Smith says. “The findings from this work have the potential to fuel similar AI literacy and workforce development initiatives nationwide.”