Colleges Add AI Courses for Job Market

Christian Vivas, who had used ChatGPT to write emails, enrolled in Miami Dade College’s AI program. He said many classmates were like him: working adults wanting to learn AI. Vivas now uses AI in his work, including for images, videos, marketing plans, and social media.

Generative AI is changing the labor market. Employers are seeking AI skills for jobs in health care, hospitality, media, and other fields. Students want to gain AI skills to stay competitive, amid fears AI will replace workers. There is evidence AI may have already eliminated some jobs. An Oxford Economics report shows entry-level jobs are especially at risk. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported the unemployment rate for recent college graduates jumped to nearly 6 percent in March.

A global survey showed 41 percent of large businesses expect to reduce staff in five years due to AI. However, 77 percent plan to train workers to use AI, according to the World Economic Forum. Job postings that mentioned generative AI skills grew 323 percent last year, according to Lightcast.

Colleges Respond to AI Trends

Colleges are adding AI to course offerings, and professors are including AI skills in lessons. Miami Dade College launched its AI certificate program shortly after ChatGPT’s release. The program includes machine learning, ethics, and natural language programming. The college has since added AI associate and bachelor’s degrees.

Antonio Delgado, vice president of innovation and technology partnerships at Miami Dade College, said the college wanted to make AI education accessible to everyone. In 2022, Miami Tech Works was created to connect tech companies with skilled workers. More non-tech businesses are seeking workers with AI skills. Terri-Ann Brown, director of Miami Tech Works, noted a hotel now wants each department to research AI tools. One department made a chatbot to recommend restaurants.

Vicky Cheung enrolled in Miami Dade College’s AI program in 2024 after being laid off from a Miami hospital. She had a bachelor’s in business and a master’s in health management and wanted to update her skills. She believes her AI courses helped her get a new job improving hospital processes.

Schools nationwide are introducing similar programs, including AI courses for business and AI minors for non-computer science majors.

Challenges for Higher Education

Higher education institutions are not always fast to adapt, but AI is evolving quickly. There’s no standard AI curriculum because generative AI is changing rapidly. Rules for AI use vary. Josh Jones, CEO of QuantHub, said that institutions move slowly, but AI is changing industries so fast that curricula become outdated.

There are ethical issues with generative AI, such as cheating and the strain on water supplies. Some studies suggest students who use AI are less engaged and use it to avoid critical thinking. Colleges are issuing statements acknowledging both the risks and the need for AI education.

The challenge is to produce graduates who can use AI without relying on it completely. James Taylor, a philosophy professor at The College of New Jersey, now has students write essays and take tests by hand to prevent AI use. He wants students to develop critical thinking skills.

Derrick Anderson, who teaches public affairs at Arizona State University, believes students should learn AI for the job market. Instead of essays, he has students create videos using ChatGPT. One student made a video about technology that mimics the human brain. Students now write memos using ChatGPT and describe when they would be appropriate.

Anderson said it involves more content because AI makes content creation easier. Students use these projects in their portfolios.

Employer Expectations

Ken Finneran, vice president of human resources at eMed, said employers seek demonstrable AI skills because there is no standard AI credential. Every department at eMed uses generative AI, and the company expects employees to have AI knowledge. Departments are 20 to 30 percent more productive using AI. Finneran believes doctors who use AI are better at diagnosing patients. He added that AI adopters will overtake those who resist AI.

Vivas said some freelancers he works with are concerned about AI. Photography models worry about AI-generated images, and marketers worry about ChatGPT replacing them. Vivas doesn’t plan to replace humans with AI, but believes workers who ignore AI are at risk. He said that the person using AI is going to replace them.