- New sustainability projects: including collaborations with
The University of Sharjah (UAE);
The University of Chicago Trust
(India); The University of Illinois (U.S.); Instituto IGUÁ
(Brazil); and Water Corporation
(Australia)
- Training: IBM SkillsBuild launches roadmap of sustainability
courses to benefit learners across communities underrepresented in
technology and address market need for green and technology
skills
ARMONK,
N.Y., Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As
vulnerable communities worldwide continue to suffer outsized
effects of climate change, IBM (NYSE: IBM) is empowering innovators
with cutting-edge technologies and training. Ahead of COP28, IBM announced the latest investments in
its effort to advance
environmental sustainability through its social impact
programs. A new set of environmental initiatives pioneering water
solutions will be scaled through the IBM Sustainability Accelerator
to benefit local communities across the globe. Simultaneously, a
first-of-its-kind roadmap of sustainability skills courses,
available for free through IBM SkillsBuild, will empower future
climate action.
"With nearly half of the global population vulnerable to
significant environmental distress, new strategies to help create a
sustainable future are essential," said Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM Vice President &
Chief Impact Officer. "This means scaling solutions to help people
immediately, while also cultivating a pipeline of future leaders at
the intersection of technology and sustainability across
industries."
New IBM Sustainability Accelerator partners and
projects:
IBM is furthering its commitment to sustainable innovation with
projects focused on water management solutions as part of its
global social impact program, the IBM Sustainability Accelerator.
The 2023 IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report identified that 3.3 billion
people live in areas vulnerable to significant impacts from climate
change1. With a commitment of $30
million worth of technology and services by IBM through the
end of 2025, the program is adding five new projects focused on
water management, offering IBM technologies, such as watsonx, and
an ecosystem of experts.
- The University of Sharjah will build a model and
application to monitor and forecast water access conditions in the
Middle East and North Africa, to help support communities in
arid and semi-arid regions with limited renewable internal
freshwater resources.
- The University of Chicago Trust
in Delhi will aggregate
water quality information in India; build and deploy tools designed to
democratize access to water quality information and help improve
water resource management for key government and nonprofit
organizations.
- The University of
Illinois will develop an AI geospatial foundation
model to help predict rain fall and flood forecasting in mountain
headwaters across the Appalachian Mountains in the U.S.
- Instituto IGUÁ will create a cloud-based platform
for sanitation infrastructure planning in Brazil, alongside local utility providers and
governments.
- Water Corporation will design a self-administered
water quality testing system for Aboriginal communities in
Western Australia.
The IBM Sustainability Accelerator program is already supporting
communities in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia on sustainable agriculture and clean
energy efforts.
New IBM SkillsBuild Sustainability Roadmap
New research from IBM and Morning Consult confirms a growing
skills gap in sustainability that poses a threat to the workforce
across industries. 71% of business leaders surveyed anticipate
their business will emphasize sustainability skills criteria in
their hiring in the next two years, with 92% expecting to invest in
sustainability training in the next year.
To help build this pipeline of sustainability talent, IBM
SkillsBuild is providing free training that connects cutting edge
technologies to ecology and climate change. With AI-powered
recommendations available for each learner, this interdisciplinary
coursework connect topics such as ecology and biodiversity, with
technology training in AI and data analytics. This is a
comprehensive curriculum to help equip the next generation of
leaders with skills for the green economy.
Learners can benefit from a holistic environmental tech training
journey from IBM SkillsBuild with digital credentials available
each step of the way.
- Introductory courses will help establish a foundation
with historical insights and fundamentals to connect sustainability
and technology.
- Mid-level offerings in design thinking and green
entrepreneurship will encourage learners to grow their skills.
- Advanced coursework will ask learners to apply their
skills to sustainability topics across AI, cybersecurity, and ESG
reporting.
These offerings build on IBM's commitment to skill
30 million people by 2030, with a focus on underrepresented
communities. Through collaborations across social service, economic
development, and vocational organizations, as well as government
agencies, and universities, IBM SkillsBuild makes free online
learning widely available, to communities that are underrepresented
in technology. These include organizations that will help skill
women, including mothers returning to the workforce, ethnic
minorities, low-income individuals, and refugees.
Read more about the programs here.
About IBM Sustainability Accelerator
Launched in February 2022,
the IBM Sustainability Accelerator is a social impact program that
addresses multiple environmental threats around the world. Each
year, the accelerator selects five projects to scale solutions that
benefit communities that face challenges such as climate change,
pollution, extreme weather and more. The program currently has
three active cohorts; the first one is focused on sustainable
agriculture, the second on clean energy, and the third on water and
sanitation. For more information,
visit https://www.ibm.com/impact/initiatives/ibm-sustainability-accelerator
About IBM SkillsBuild
IBM SkillsBuild is a free education program focused on
underrepresented communities in tech, that helps adult learners,
and high school and university students and faculty, develop
valuable new skills and access career opportunities. The program
includes an online platform that is complemented by customized
practical learning experiences delivered in collaboration with a
global network of partners. The open version of IBM SkillsBuild is
an online platform offering over 1,000 courses in 20 languages on
AI, cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing, and many other
technical disciplines — as well as in workplace skills such as
Design Thinking. Most importantly, participants can earn
IBM-branded digital credentials that are recognized by the market.
The enhanced partner version of IBM SkillsBuild may also include
workshops, expert conversations with IBM coaches and mentors,
project-based learning, access to IBM software, specialized support
from partners through the learning process, and connection to
career opportunities. Visit skillsbuild.org to learn
more.
Media Contacts:
Deirdre Leahy Hart
IBM Media Relations
deirdre.leahy@ibm.com
Fernando Arreaza Vargas
IBM Media Relations
Fernando.Arreaza@ibm.com
1 AR6 Synthesis Report, A.2.2, from IPCC, 2023:
Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis
Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
[Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC,
Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 1-34,
doi: 10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647.001).
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