LAS VEGAS, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM InterConnect -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Galvanize today are announcing new cognitive, cloud and data science training initiatives on IBM Cloud, which will aim to increase the talent pool of cognitive developers and data scientists. This partnership will work to bridge the emerging skills gap for professionals by tapping the accessibility of cloud to bring an advanced cognitive and data skills curriculum to a broad range of global developers and data scientists.

This extension of the IBM and Galvanize partnership consists of the new IBM Cognitive Course, delivered digitally through Bluemix, IBM's cloud platform. The collaboration also provides physical spaces for training and education through the new Cognitive Builder Fair Initiative and the Cognitive Builder Space, both of which provide opportunities for hands-on learning and access to cognitive and data science experts. 

The curriculum will be hosted on IBM Bluemix, which provides the foundation and services for a range of development environments, including the Watson Data Platform, the Watson Developer Cloud Platform and the IBM Data Science Experience. The first Cognitive Builder Space opens today at InterConnect, IBM's annual cloud and cognitive conference, and features tutorials led by cognitive and data science experts. 

Technology advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are moving rapidly. As is the case with any budding industry, a skills gap is emerging in which the market doesn't have enough experienced developers to address the growing demand for cognitive and AI development. IBM and Galvanize together will bring cognitive skills and data science curriculum to individuals interested in some of the most lucrative careers in tech and in helping bring to bear the benefits of man and machine. 

"There is simply more demand for cognitive and AI development skills than currently exists in the market," said Willie Tejada, IBM Chief Developer Advocate. "We want to help developers access the skills required to pursue some of the most lucrative jobs in tech, while supporting business by increasing the talent pool. The cognitive and AI revolution is upon us, and together with organizations like Galvanize we can advance the state of technology innovation and increase contributions from more people than ever before." 

"Galvanize has an established mastery and proven track record of success in teaching data scientists and developers in an immersive setting. On their strong market-leader foundation, Galvanize will craft and teach a curriculum that will integrate IBM's skills and subject matter expertise," said Jim Deters, CEO of Galvanize. 

The new programs integrate IBM's skills and subject matter expertise in data science and cognitive development with Galvanize's immersive learning philosophy and deep community of students, startups and instructors. IBM is among the first major cognitive technology providers to design such a course to prepare next-generation developers and data scientists for new collar jobs that support the fast pace of innovation in this area. 

The IBM Cognitive Course is an online, self-directed, four-week program led by Galvanize and hosted on IBM Bluemix. The approximately 40 hours will cover an introduction to machine learning and AI and the business problems these cognitive technologies can solve; prototyping cognitive products with IBM Watson APIs; emerging roles from architect to developer and operations; and challenges of building a cognitive system in its entirety. Developers representing a major systems integrator, a venture capital group and a leading retail chain are anticipated to be among the first to receive the IBM Cognitive Course at the IBM India Labs.

The Cognitive Builder Fair Initiative will house a series of events in Austin, Denver, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Boston. These two-day builder fairs will include workshops, tutorials and hands-on labs. The events will also provide a forum for local cognitive developers and data scientists to exchange ideas, as well as engage in hackathons at which participants can use cognitive solutions to tackle major social, environmental and business challenges.

The Cognitive Builder Space and Integration Initiative will bring the cognitive and data science learning communities together for in-depth training sessions, networking events, meetups, hackathons and competitions. They will include space where developers and data scientists can participate in hands-on opportunities with data science and cognitive technologies. The communities will have access to IBM and Galvanize 'office hours' in these spaces – the first of which will be available today at InterConnect. 

Founded in 2012, Galvanize is focused on making education and growth accessible to anyone – especially underrepresented groups in the tech industry. It provides courseware, events and workspaces where professionals can collaborate and brings together industry, students, world-class education and passionate founders in one community. 

This partnership with Galvanize extends the relationship between IBM and Galvanize, which was founded in 2014 with the launch of IBM Bluemix Garages. The San Francisco and New York locations of the IBM Bluemix Garage network are hosted within the Galvanize campuses in those cities, embedding IBM in the heart of Galvanize's entrepreneurial tech learning communities. Also located in London, Toronto, Melbourne, Nice, Singapore and Tokyo, IBM Bluemix Garages serve as a hub where developers, product managers and designers can come together to build on Bluemix. 

These new initiatives also continue IBM's commitment to equip developers with the educational resources they need. IBM recently announced its partnership with TopCoder and the introduction of an AI Nanodegree program with Udacity to help developers establish a foundational understanding of AI. IBM also offers the IBM Learning Lab, which features more than 100 curated online courses and cognitive uses cases from providers like CodeAcademy, Coursera, Big Data University and Udacity. IBM DeveloperWorks offers how-to tutorials and courses on IBM tools and open standard technologies for all phases of the app development lifecycle. 

InterConnect is IBM's cloud and cognitive conference where more than 20,000 developers, clients and partners are being introduced to the latest advancements in cloud computing through 2,000 sessions, labs and certifications. IBM is positioning both enterprise and startup clients for success with a complete portfolio of cloud services and marquee partnerships, supporting a wide range of applications including: big data, analytics, blockchain and cognitive computing.

For more information, visit: https://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/. For the IBM InterConnect Press Kit, visit: http://www.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/51861.wss. Engage in the conversation through @IBMCloud and #ibminterconnect.

About Galvanize

Galvanize is a dynamic tech learning community that offers education, workspace and networking for students, startups and large companies. Galvanize teaches web development, data science and data engineering to students; offers support and workspace to member companies and provides over 200 networking events across seven urban campuses throughout the nation. Galvanize campuses bring together entrepreneurs, students, investors, mentors, and great people and companies to develop the skills, mindset and networks necessary to thrive in a technology driven world. To learn more about Galvanize, visit galvanize.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @galvanize.

Jennifer Cloer
reTHINKit PR for IBM
503-867-2304
jennifer@rethinkitpr.com 

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SOURCE IBM

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