IIIT-Hyderabad and TalentSprint mark 1 year of AI/ML executive program

IIIT-Hyderabad and TalentSprint have completed the first anniversary of their AI/ML Executive Program. With 10,000+ applicants and 1000+ graduates in 2018 alone, the program has made its mark as one of the most aspirational and impactful deep tech executive programs in the country in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The program’s hybrid structure designed by the IIIT-H Machine Learning Lab, with its judicious blend of research and practice-based modules, created a strong appeal among working professionals. The intense nature of the program with lectures by globally renowned AI and ML faculty, case studies by industry practitioners, hands-on lab exercises, high-energy hackathons and ongoing mentorship offered a unique environment and design where learning-by-doing became the norm.

Program participants had work experience in the range of 3-25 years, with an average of 7 years. Acceptance of the program among professionals in senior leadership roles was sizeable at 18% of participants. In addition, 20% of participants came from management ranks, 26% were analysts, and 36% were developers.

An analysis of Industry-wise adoption revealed that 55% of the participants were from IT sector, followed by 18% from BFSI sector, 10% from Consulting, and remaining from Telecom, Services and Manufacturing sectors. 44% of the participants came from startups and 56% from larger enterprises.

To improve adoption of deep tech among women and young professionals, the program offered special scholarships to these categories. This diversity initiative resulted in 18% participation by women and 39% participation by young professionals.

Participant Speak

• “Great opportunity to learn from India's Best Professors.” ~ Rambabu Bonkuri, Lead Developer, Paymatrix

• “It is about the collaboration & networking that this Program brings to the table.” ~ Krishna Chilamkurthy, Program Manager, Microsoft

• “Concise Program, good exposure to research as well as industry trends and practices.” ~ Meenakshi Singh, Software Developer, Hitachi Consulting

• “Overall structure didn't overwhelm, considering some of us haven't been coding for a while.” ~ Saritha, Sr. Technical Manager, Netcracker

• “A clear understanding of the concepts and how to connect it with real world scenarios.” ~ Laxman, Director, Qualcomm

Speaking on the Anniversary, Prof. P. J. Narayanan, Director of IIIT-Hyderabad said: “We are very impressed with the mix of participants across industries and range of roles. This diversity has enabled us to bring the best out of the program. We realize the immense shortage of talent in this field and are committed to enable 10,000 tech professionals with our globally renowned expertise and reputation in the field of AI and ML. We are therefore preparing ourselves to take this program to professionals beyond Bengaluru and Hyderabad in 2019.”

Commenting on the occasion, Dr Santanu Paul, CEO and MD of TalentSprint said: "We were delighted with the rapid adoption of AI/ML among working professionals in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. We are constantly investing in making the program more comprehensive, more compelling, and more cutting-edge. We believe this is already the biggest source of high-end AI/ML talent in the country today and we intend to make it a national phenomenon in 2019."

(With inputs from agencies.)