Clark Atlanta University Announces Collaboration with IBM to cultivate AI skills among students and aspiring developers

Through IBM SkillsBuild, students at Clark Atlanta University will have access to watsonx to build new solutions to real-world problems

ATLANTA, July 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Clark Atlanta University today announced a collaboration with IBM SkillsBuild to help cultivate talent among future developers and drive economic growth. AI training continues to be vital. The latest Future of Jobs report from the World Economic Forum shows that the skills gap remains the most significant barrier to business transformation, and that by 2030, 39% of current skills may become outdated. Additionally, recent research from IBM and Morning Consult reveals that 76% of developers don't consider themselves to be experts in generative AI. This shows how the growth of generative AI has compounded the existing skills gap across roles.

In response to this, Clark Atlanta University is working with IBM as part of a new strategy to help university students and aspiring developers build the AI competencies that will help them thrive.

"As we embark on this transformative partnership with IBM, we recognize the critical importance of closing the digital divide and fostering a technological landscape that embraces excellence," says Dr. Charlene D. Gilbert, Provost and Senior Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Clark Atlanta University. "By equipping our students with essential AI competencies, we not only prepare them for future opportunities but also ensure that the development of artificial intelligence reflects the broad range of perspectives of the communities it serves. It is imperative that the architects of AI systems draw on the knowledge and insights of the communities they impact, thereby promoting economic viability and sustainable growth in the digital age."

"The pace of AI innovation continues to challenge and inspire businesses across industries, making skilled talent more important than ever," said Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM VP and Chief Impact Officer. "As we see the rise of more open-source AI models, it's clear that the pace of transformation is not slowing down. The future of AI will be shaped by students, educators, and professionals who not only have the skills to use generative AI, but also to manage AI agents, or even build them."

The key elements of Clark Atlanta University's collaboration with IBM SkillsBuild are faculty training and practical real-world learning opportunities through access to watsonx (IBM's portfolio of generative AI products) and Granite (IBM's family of open-source large language models).

Faculty Training: IBM will offer Clark Atlanta University professors AI training and resources that can help them cultivate their students' abilities. This additional guidance and support from IBM experts, along with new coursework on generative AI, and access to watsonx and Granite, will give professors more options to incorporate advanced AI learning into their curriculum.

Real-world tech experiences for students:

• Hands-on labs: IBM is offering students a deeper dive into AI learning with interactive components through labs that are up to 90 minutes in length. These will help students dive deeper into topics like code generation and data classification using LLMs, like IBM Granite. Students will also have opportunities to earn digital credentials that are recognized by future employers.
• Group innovation challenges: IBM will offer innovation challenges, like hackathons, which are short-term experiences that give groups of aspiring developers the opportunity to use Granite.
• Generative AI Capstone projects: Students will have access to watsonx to build real-world solutions. These students will have the opportunity to work with IBM experts and their classroom professors to build innovative capstone projects over the course of a semester. IBM mentors will equip the students with problem statements, including some from IBM clients, which could span different industries such as financial services, healthcare, insurance, life sciences, manufacturing, telecommunications, marketing or energy.

Free generative AI courses for beginners: New coursework will also help students across disciplines build a foundation of AI understanding. The courses from IBM SkillsBuild are about one hour each and include topics like exploring text to speech; building a chatbot; and an introduction to open-source LLMs.

About Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University was formed with the consolidation of Atlanta University and Clark College. Atlanta University, established in 1865 by the American Missionary Association, was the nation's first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans. Established four years later in 1869, Clark College was the nation's first four-year liberal arts college to serve a primarily African American student population. Today, with nearly 4,000 students, CAU is the largest of the four institutions that comprise the Atlanta University Center Consortium. It is also the largest of the 37-member United Negro College Fund (UNCF) institutions. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.

About IBM SkillsBuild

IBM SkillsBuild is a free education program aimed at increasing access to technology education. Through the program, IBM supports adult learners, and high school and university students and faculty, to develop valuable new skills and access career opportunities. The program includes an online platform that is complemented by customized practical learning experiences delivered in collaboration with a global network of partners.

The open version of IBM SkillsBuild is an online platform offering over 1,000 courses in 20 languages on AI, sustainability, cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing, and many other technical disciplines — as well as in workplace skills such as design thinking. Participants can earn IBM-branded digital credentials that are recognized by the market.

The enhanced version of IBM SkillsBuild may also include workshops, expert conversations with IBM coaches and mentors, project-based learning, access to IBM software, specialized support from partners through the learning process, and connection to career opportunities. Visit skillsbuild.org to learn more.

SOURCE Clark Atlanta University