Quinsigamond Community College presented “Designing an AI Certificate Program: A Workforce Model for Applied AI Education” at the 2026 TLSD Conference, showcasing a collaboration with MIT PATH and Google.org to address the AI skills gap.
At the 2026 Teaching, Learning and Student Development (TLSD) Conference in Bristol, Quinsigamond Community College presented “Designing an AI Certificate Program: A Workforce Model for Applied AI Education”—a replicable model addressing critical gaps in affordable, hands-on AI training for community college students.
The Challenge
The AI economy faces significant barriers: lack of affordable hands-on training, rapidly evolving taxonomies, limited work-learn-earning pathways, and fragmented stakeholder buy-in across colleges, employers, government, and nonprofits.
The Solution
In collaboration with MIT PATH and Google.org, QCC designed a 22-credit AI Certificate Program consisting of four 4-credit courses (Python and Statistics prerequisite). At no cost to students in MassEducate and MassReconnect, the program combines:
- Technical Skills: AI Foundations, Data Science, Deep Learning, and Agentic AI—with and without coding options
- Human-Centered Design: Critical thinking, problem-solving, and responsible AI ethics
- Life Skills: Independence, confidence, adaptability, perseverance, and teamwork
- Industry Application: Hands-on learning through PATH action labs (colabs) mentored by MIT experts, where student teams solve real-world problems for clients
Support & Sustainability
MIT AIx PATH provides ongoing development through annual faculty summits, professional development workshops, curriculum co-design, and research/assessment support—ensuring the program remains scalable and evidence-informed.
Presenters: Dr. Hao Loi, Professor Gargi Chug, Professor Charu Trivedi, Dr. Dennis A. Dean, II, and Dr. Brady Hammond