The collaboration brings AI expertise to Albertans in underrepresented communities and workers impacted by COVID-19

EDMONTON, AB (October 15, 2020) – Microsoft and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) have teamed up to put forward $200,000 in scholarships in Amii’s Machine Learning Technician Certification I. The seats are being offered to Albertans whose employment has been negatively impacted by COVID-19 or those who come from communities that are underrepresented in STEM. Twenty scholarships have already been awarded for the Fall 2020 cohort, which started on September 16, and an additional 20 seats will be offered toward the next cohort, beginning on January 12, 2021. Applications for the Winter 2021 cohort will close on November 30, 2020.

“Alberta is an important part of Canada’s economic engine and will play a critical role in the country’s recovery,” said Kevin Peesker, President, Microsoft Canada, “Like Microsoft, Amii believes that the real potential of cloud and AI is unlocked when businesses have the talent to build and deploy their own solutions. Amii is a world-renowned organization in the fields of AI and machine learning, and we are pleased to work with them to help more people – particularly those from underrepresented groups – access the skills they need to strengthen Alberta’s economic future.”

“With the demand for AI and machine learning expertise continuing to grow, Amii is pleased to collaborate with Microsoft to accelerate our ability to deliver exceptional training that prepares Albertans for the careers of the future. We’re especially excited to bring diverse voices to our program and our field by offering seats to communities that are historically underserved in computing science and STEM,” says Cam Linke, CEO of Amii. “Alberta already leads the world in producing top talent in AI, and this collaboration will help us maintain our advantage.”

About the Machine Learning Technician Certification I

Machine Learning Technician Certification I is a 13-week certificate focused on growing technical skills in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The project-based certificate features 100 hours of facilitated training consisting of virtual lab, lecture and group sessions and concludes with a capstone project that has participants working through all the stages of a machine learning project.

Over the duration of the online program, participants will work their way through content focused on developing a start-to-finish ML project under the direction of educational facilitators with a passion for teaching and advanced research. Upon successful completion of the ML Technician Certificate, participants will have gained the skills to confidently create a business case for an ML project at their company as well as the ability to undertake an ML project or apply for a job with AI/ML requirements.

Participants will experience all stages of a machine learning project: from objective definition and data preparation; through model selection and tuning; to model maintenance and growth. Successful graduation from the program will earn participants a Certificate of Completion from Amii, one of Canada’s centres of AI excellence.

What is artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is a discipline of computing science that allows a system to complete tasks we typically associate with cognitive functions – such as reasoning, strategizing and problem-solving – without requiring an explicit solution for every variation.

Why focus on machine learning?

Machine learning is a set of computational techniques that use data to create models that make predictions about future data. These models independently learn and continuously adapt to changing environments without being explicitly programmed for the data they encounter. Machine learning is a crucial component in many artificial intelligence systems.

Industry is particularly interested in adopting applied machine learning, and investing in advanced research in the field, because of the focus on using historical data to inform future opportunities for systems improvement, discoveries, and augmenting human-cognitive capacity.

About Microsoft Canada

Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Inc. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq "MSFT") the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft Canada provides nationwide sales, marketing, consulting and local support services in both French and English. For more information on Microsoft Canada, please visit www.microsoft.ca.

About Amii

One of Canada’s three centres of AI excellence as part of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, Amii (the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) is an Alberta-based non-profit institute that supports world-leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning and translates scientific advancement into industry adoption. Amii grows AI capabilities through advancing leading-edge research, delivering exceptional educational offerings and providing business advice – all with the goal of building in-house AI capabilities. For more information, visit amii.ca.