HRDC, UoM mark successful collaboration in AI training
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Les archives de Maurice Info
The Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) in collaboration with the University of Mauritius (UoM) held a Closing Ceremony on Thursday 11 May 2023 to recognise the achievement of 18 working professionals who have completed the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSc AI) course.
The ceremony was held at the New Academic Complex, UoM, Réduit and was graced by Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, and Soodesh Satkam Callichurn, Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Protection.
The MSc AI course was fully funded by the HRDC under its ‘Skills Development Support Programme for Artificial Intelligence’. The course was designed to allow graduates to develop core data analysis skills and explore both traditional and state-of-the-art tools and techniques of AI and machine learning. The course also aimed to provide graduates with the fundamental knowledge and practical skills needed to design, build and apply AI systems for real-life applications through group and individual projects.
Dr. Raj Auckloo, Director – Human Resource Development Council:
Professor Sanjeev Kumar Sobhee, Vice-Chancellor, University of Mauritius:
The MSc AI course was run for a period of two years, from November 2020 to January 2023, on a part-time basis. The 18 employees who completed the course are from 14 enterprises operating in diverse economic sectors. The course was centred on a project-based learning approach where the students had to identify a real problematic in their workplace and work on a project to address it. This approach was beneficial as it provided students with hands-on experience, allowing them to appply the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the programme in a practical setting.
The ceremony included a presentation by Group CEO of Rose Hill Transport Holdings Ltd, Dr. Sidharth Sharma on the theme ‘Pushing the organisational performance limits with AI.’
Mr Vidia Mooneegan, Global Head of Shared Services – Ceridian (Mauritius):
Mrs Yashmee Dewoo Issur, Human Resources Director – Accenture (Mauritius) Services Ltd:
During the closing ceremony, the four outstanding students of the MSc AI course were awarded a shield in recognition of their achievement.
MSc AI student, Mr Noomesh Dowlut, employed at Constance Hospitality Management Ltd:
MSc AI student, Yashna Moosary, emploayed at Accenture (Mauritius) Services Ltd:
Learners who have completed this course should now be able to:
• identify and apply the scientific, technological and ethical principles underlying Artificial Intelligence;
• implement different approaches for data analytics in different industries;
• experiment with specialist tools and techniques to develop AI-based systems; and
• develop practical machine learning models for different domains.
Competencies acquired by the learners include:
• Building applications using machine learning and data analytics;
• Developing software tools using advanced AI algorithms;
• Applying AI solutions to current issues in society/ IT sector and; and
• Starting their own ventures in AI.
About the HRDC’s Skills Development Support Programme for AI
The ‘MSc Artificial Intelligence’ course was implemented under the Skills Development Support Programme for Artificial Intelligence (AI) of the HRDC.
The Skills Development Support Programme for AI, launched in April 2019, aims to proactively respond to skills needs of the industry. This umbrella programme comprises a wide spectrum of instruments supporting skills development initiatives such as:
• projects to expose university students to the new technologies to smoothen their entrance in the place of work, through linkage with foreign universities and /or appropriate technology providers;
• fresh graduates and mid-level professionals to acquire specialist, expert or mastery-level competencies through selected courses;
• professionals to have the opportunities to deepen their specialist-level competencies, through selected courses;
• selected building blocks of AI skills development as continuous process in ongoing university programmes;
• scholarships to follow university AI undergraduate and post-graduate degrees;
• needs-driven projects by industry associations to start building human capital in AI;
• train-the-trainer programmes to build capacity at local universities as a basis to promote mainstreaming AI;
• train professionals at industries who can in turn act as mentors to university students.
Students, fresh graduates, existing professionals, lecturers/trainers, researchers are targeted beneficiaries. Proposals can emanate from groups of enterprises, industry associations, public and private universities amongst others.
