Tech Industry Alliance and RDI Hub launch AI skills programme

The Tech Industry Alliance and RDI Hub have joined forces to launch the Graduate AI Launchpad pilot, a four-week programme aimed at equipping graduates with practical AI skills for future workplaces. The inaugural cohort, comprising graduates from diverse disciplines such as engineering, quantity surveying, business, psychology, and technology, embarked on their learning journey at the RDI Hub in Killorglin this week.

The programme provides an immersive experience, allowing participants to work on real industry challenges alongside experienced professionals and mentors. They will collaborate on practical projects, learn from seasoned speakers, and showcase their work at a final event upon completion. This hands-on approach aims to build participants' confidence in applying AI in practical workplace scenarios.

Juliette Crowley, COO of the Tech Industry Alliance, emphasized that the core objective is to strengthen the technology ecosystem in Cork and Kerry through meaningful collaborations. Graduate AI Launchpad exemplifies this goal by bridging the gap between industry, education, and the wider community. She expressed optimism about the programme's potential to serve as the foundation for a broader initiative supporting more graduates across the region in the future.

Maeve Lyons, the programme manager at RDI Hub, highlighted AI as a key focus area and noted that the RDI Hub has been instrumental in helping organizations adopt AI to solve real business challenges. The Graduate AI Launchpad serves as a natural extension of this work, offering graduates a unique opportunity to learn directly from industry experts, work on practical projects, and develop confidence in using AI within real-world settings.