Alibaba Cloud Launches Generative AI Course to Upskill Global Digital Talent

Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, has made its Alibaba Cloud Certified Associate (ACA) Generative AI Engineer Course available to its global customers, partners and developers starting from May 2024 including in Thai market. The course is available as part of Alibaba Cloud's commitment to support digital talent development and make AI more accessible.

The ACA Generative AI Engineering Course, developed by Alibaba Cloud Academy, teaches fundamental knowledge about the technology, covering topics from its roots in machine learning to natural language processing, encoder-decoders to generative adversarial networks, to leveraging models via retrieval-augmented generation, agents, and more. Alibaba Cloud Academy is the training and certification division of Alibaba Cloud.

Through the course's three-step approach - learn, imagine, and apply - users will be able to develop the skills necessary to deploy Generative AI apps on Alibaba Cloud platforms. Users who complete the course and pass the exam will obtain an ACA certificate. With the wider rollout now underway, the program aims to equip 10,000 - 20,000 learners worldwide with basic AI knowledge by the end of 2024.

"Generative AI is a transformative technology promising to bring the creativity of individuals and companies to new heights. Our ACA Generative AI Engineer course aims to help customers, partners, developers, and users of various backgrounds globally to really unlock that potential and drive tomorrow's digital agenda," said Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, "We are strongly committed to supporting talent in mastering essential digital skills, and we're excited to continue expanding our training offerings around the world."

Since April 2023, over 60,000 people from a wide range of backgrounds received training certificates through Alibaba Cloud's talent development initiatives including university programs, training partners, online training courses and offline Skills Centers and Training Centers. Alibaba Cloud Academy offers over 300 online & offline certification courses, 17 professional certifications, 250 online hands-on labs with over 300 associated partners worldwide.

Enhancing training capabilities worldwide

Alibaba Cloud recently launched its first Training Center in Singapore, partnering with Trainocate Singapore to offer courses on a wide range of subjects, including cloud computing and AI. The Center works to empower local customers, partners and instructors with knowledge sharing opportunities as well as organise events such as the recently held "AI's Impact on the Education of Today's Youth" - a roundtable attended by 25 professors from 15 universities in seven countries and regions, exploring the potential of university-industry cooperation in delivering crucial skill building opportunities to students.

Alibaba Cloud Academy Skills Centers and Training Centers are offline hubs designed to enable people of all ages, professions, and walks of life to come together to discover the power of cloud computing and stay up-to-date on the latest technological advancements. Both Centers offer exhibits, free training, and specific courses to build in-demand job skills. The Skills Centers are designed for students still learning the basics, while Training Centers are tailored for professionals already engaged in the cloud computing industry, enabling them to further enhance their skills.

Skills Centers and Training Centers are Alibaba Cloud Academy's latest initiative to enhance digital training capabilities worldwide and have launched six offline facilities in six markets.

• Alibaba Cloud Academy Skills Center in Thailand, was launched in December 2023 in partnership with the Office of Academic Resources of Chulalongkorn University, offering students and the general public access to free training courses, bootcamps with certifications, AI competition opportunities, and leadership development programs. Additionally, Chulalongkorn University has leveraged Alibaba Cloud's media solutions for its events livestreaming and online teaching for enhanced efficiency and convenience.
• In March 2024, Alibaba Cloud Academy Training Center in the Middle East region was launched in partnership with Aladdin Cyber Security, a leading provider of security services and solutions, to host monthly training and enablement programs covering a wide spectrum of cutting-edge technologies, from AI to database management to elastic computing.
• In Malaysia, Alibaba Cloud and Universiti Malaya, the country's oldest university, unveiled the launch of the Alibaba Cloud Academy Skills Center and its first internship program locally in February 2024 to cultivate the next generation of leaders and local digital talent in Malaysia.
• In Hong Kong, Alibaba Cloud announced a joint talent empowerment program with Kornerstone Hong Kong, a renowned professional training provider, to establish a Training Center in Hong Kong.

In 2024, Alibaba Cloud plans to expand the reach of its Skills Centers and Training Centers to more markets in Asia and Europe. 

Cultivating the young talents

Alibaba Cloud is in collaboration with more than 80 universities across 16 countries and regions outside the Chinese mainland, offering cloud computing learning resources to equip the future talents.

In Hong Kong, Alibaba Cloud partnered with The University of Hong Kong Business School to jointly announced the first cloud computing credit course for undergraduate students. Over 50 undergraduate students from different majors including computer science, finance, law and design, have completed the course.

In Indonesia, Alibaba Cloud has established partnerships with esteemed universities such as Binus University, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Universitas Pendidikan Manadalika, and Universitas Pelita Harapan. These collaborations facilitate the integration of cloud computing and AI-centric courses into their curricula, thereby supporting the nation's strategic goals of cultivating a robust and competitive skilled workforce for the future.