Developing Career Pathways in Data Science and AI at Community Colleges

This birds-of-a-feather session will focus on the development of accelerated pathways to good jobs in data science and AI initiating at community colleges. The session will begin with a brief presentation of current efforts related to this objective at San Antonio College (SAC), a two-year Hispanic Serving Institution and 2021 winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Current initiatives developing novel pathways in data science and AI with integrated industry-recognized credentials and low-stakes microcredential onramps will be highlighted. Strategies for addressing the systemic barriers facing historically marginalized individuals related to math preparation will also be addressed. The alignment of this initiative with SAC’s broader vision to enhance workforce readiness will be presented, along with ongoing efforts to establish transfer pipelines to local four-year institutions. Following this introductory presentation, attendees will participate in a guided small-group working session focused on identifying and eliminating roadblocks which impede the progress of historically marginalized students at community colleges. This working session is intended to facilitate future collaborations around this critical initiative.