New scholarships to encourage graduates from under-represented groups to work in AI
Published: 19 February, 2024
Aston University has announced it is offering more opportunities to graduates who want a career in artificial intelligence (AI) but don’t have a science, technology, engineering or maths degree.
The scholarships are offered due to increased funding from the Office for Students (OfS). Each award is worth £10,000 and will be awarded to students enrolling on the course in September. The government scheme aims to ease the shortage of AI and data specialists in the UK and increase diversity in the sector.
Women, black students, disabled students and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are currently underrepresented in the AI and data science professions.
Last year the University offered nine scholarships to graduates who want to work within the expanding AI sector but don’t have a relevant qualification.
This year the University is offering 11 scholarships for the MSc Applied AI for September 2024 entry.
The course is designed to provide specialist knowledge without the need for a computer science background.
Professor Damien Foster, head of the School of Computer Science and Digital Technologies, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer more of these scholarships, which offer a great opportunity to enter a career in AI from non-standard routes.
“AI continues to have a big impact on our lives every day so it is important to offer a diversity of skills and experiences for the development of this key technology.
“These new scholarships support the University’s 2030 Strategy priority to prepare our students for work and life through contemporary learning experiences enriched with professional practice across all disciplines and courses.”
In 2023 a study found only one in 10 of UK workers have digital skills. According to the research, conducted by Gallup and Amazon Web Services, 72 per cent of businesses in the UK had vacancies for workers with digital skills and more than two thirds find it difficult to hire the digital workers they need. Almost half which blame the a shortage of qualified applicants.
For details of eligibility and how to apply for the scholarships visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/postgraduate/artificial-intelligence-scholarship
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