Schiller and IBM join forces to boost student employability through the IBM SkillsBuild platform

The Global American University, Schiller, has reached an agreement with IBM to train its students in the skills most in demand in the global workplace.  Through the IBM SkillsBuild training platform, students at any of Schiller’s campuses in Tampa (Florida), Madrid, Paris or Heidelberg, as well as distance learners, will be able to take courses developed by IBM in key skills in the areas of Innovation and Creativity, Interpersonal, Digital and Business.

This agreement is part of The Global American University, Schiller’s “Global Employability Path” (GEP) program and IBM’s commitment to train 30 million people by 2030 in digital skills, to help reduce the digital skills and knowledge gap in our society, and to enable students at The Global American University, Schiller to adapt more quickly to the professional world that awaits them after their studies. Thanks to the agreement with IBM, students gain access to the IBM SkillsBuild platform, where they will be able to customize their GEP training plan, choosing from active learning activities designed by the IBM platform and aligned with their educational program, to boost job skills in the world of technology, and will receive their corresponding certificate upon completion of the program. In addition, the GEP allows students to participate in real business challenges, simulations, workshops and volunteer activities, all focused on developing the critical competencies most in demand in the real professional world.

According to the “Future of Work, Insights for 2021 and Beyond” report by U.S. think tank Milken Institute, learning and work are becoming less disparate and more interspersed, if not concurrent.

“One of the main learnings from the pandemic for the professional environment is that while knowledge remains very important, skills are key to successfully adapting to the new work environment. The university cannot be left behind, and Schiller, since its inception, has been working to equip its students with the necessary tools to face the job market through experiential learning, making learning and work converge in the classroom,” says Jeanette Espinal, Dean of Students at The Global American University, Schiller.

“For decades, IBM has been committed to investing in the future of education and bridging the digital divide through a variety of free, disruptive technology training programs and initiatives such as our IBM SkillsBuild platform,” said Belen Perales, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at IBM. “Today, digital transformation has reached a point where it affects the whole of society and the need to be trained is imperative for societies to adapt and evolve. For this, it is essential that the development of digital skills is embedded throughout the education system, as it is already in companies and the IT professional community. In this sense, I believe it is our responsibility, as a socially responsible and committed company, to promote and enhance joint projects with the academic world, such as the one we are initiating with Schiller International University, that effectively contributes to developing the next generation of talents that, in a transversal way, will define the future and progress of our society.”

The Global American University, Schiller

The Global American University, Schiller, founded in 1964, offers a truly international educational experience based on an experiential learning methodology. Through its four campuses in Tampa (Florida), Madrid, Heidelberg and Paris, students learn immersed in different international scenarios, acquire knowledge and skills based on the real world, work with companies on their business challenges and increase their global employability by designing their personalized educational itinerary. Students have access to a dual degree (American and European) and the possibility to participate in training experiences with think tanks such as LSE IDEAS – the LSE’s foreign policy think tank – or universities such as Cambridge, thanks to Schiller’s agreements with the most innovative institutions in the field of higher education. Schiller currently has a network of more than 20,000 alumni of 130 nationalities.

For more information: http://www.schiller.edu/

IBM Education

IBM’s portfolio of education programs and initiatives strives to take a personalized, diverse and in-depth approach, reflecting IBM’s understanding that a one-size-fits-all approach is not enough when it comes to education. IBM’s programs range from educating and supporting teenagers in public schools and universities, to aspiring professionals and job seekers. IBM’s commitment to education has long been at the core of its corporate social responsibility initiatives.

IBM SkillsBuild

IBM SkillsBuild is a free digital training program that helps people develop valuable new skills to find jobs regardless of their background or education. It is present in 187 countries and offers more than 10,000 courses in cybersecurity, data analytics, cloud computing and many other technical disciplines, as well as job skills such as Design Thinking. Participants can earn IBM digital credentials, and a global network of 90 nonprofit partners helps connect learners with job opportunities. Since its launch, 2,319,000 people have joined IBM SkillsBuild and completed 3,648,000 hours of learning.

For more information: https://skillsbuild.org/es