Bengaluru, Karnataka, India - 28 Jun 2017: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Galvanize today announced the launch of the first online Cognitive Builder Course hosted on IBM Cloud and powered by IBM Watson. The course is aimed at enterprise developers and interested university students who seek to build on their fundamental Python programming skills, while gaining knowledge about machine learning and artificial intelligence. 

Currently, the technology industry is facing a shortage of experienced developers to address the growing demand for cognitive and AI development. Recently ‘Upskilling India’ a study conducted by IBM Institute for Business Value indicates 60 percent of global executives expect that employees will need new and different skills to be successful. The study also highlights that 61 percent of the respondents believe that India’s higher education system is slow in responding to the changing social demands and needs, followed by 59 percent of the respondents expressing the challenge in maintaining a relevant curriculum for students. This partnership will help bridge the emerging skills gap by providing access to global cognitive curriculum to a broad range of developers throughout country.

Developed by expert data scientists from Galvanize and cognitive developers from IBM, the Cognitive Builder Course is available across the globe, online to any developer interested in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Students will be able to join a community of other Cognitive Builders and engage in real-time conversations with their fellow students. 

HDFC Bank Limited, a leading private sector bank in India and Larsen & Toubro Infotech Limited, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company were first to partake in the IBM Cognitive Builder Course, in partnership with Galvanize, at the IBM India Software Labs. The week-long personalized session, conducted by experts from Galvanize, covered introduction to advanced cognitive technologies, their functions, and use cases, with hands-on projects which simulated an on-the-job environment.

“Business leaders from across a variety of enterprises are exploring and experimenting with new ways to infuse AI capabilities into their businesses,” said Arvind Shetty, Director IBM Analytics, IBM India Software Labs. “This partnership delivers hands-on skills training to prepare the next-generation of developers and data scientists to better understand and innovate with AI and cognitive technology, directly impacting the way enterprises derive insight from data.” 

"We believe advances in cognitive computing will not only help financial institutions in managing and generating deep insights from the volume of data generated but also fuel innovation and growth by creating new business models in the industry. The IBM Cognitive Course delivered on IBM Cloud in partnership with Galvanize helps in bridging the emerging skills gap by bringing together advanced cognitive and data skills curriculum for professionals. We were delighted to join IBM for the beta launch of this course and we would like to thank IBM for this opportunity." Asmita Gada, Head - IT Governance, HDFC Bank Ltd.

The Cognitive Builder Course is designed in an engaging format which includes training videos, tutorials and hands-on activities designed to prepare developers to build cognitive applications on IBM Watson. The Course covers four weeks at seven hours per week, for a total of approximately 28 hours of training.

Students will learn to: 

• Develop familiarity with cognitive technologies, their functions and use cases
• Design intelligent products that use artificial intelligence to solve new business problems
• Acquire the skills needed to prototype, integrate and deploy cognitive technologies 

Find out more and sign up today.

About Galvanize

Galvanize is a 21st Century school for engineers, entrepreneurs and data scientists.  On eight campuses across the U.S., the energy, intellect and ambition of Galvanize students, members and alumni are at the heart of a learning community that promotes belonging, and that celebrates courage and growth. Our faculty and flexible blended-learning platform, combining part-time online education and in-person training, provide the most relevant and in-demand technology skills to anyone with the smarts, drive and grit to re-skill, up-skill and define success on their terms. Our members include first-time entrepreneurs, growing startups, and Fortune 1000 companies all looking to level-up. Become a member or enroll in an immersive course by visiting the Galvanize website.  Follow us: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

About IBM

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