PEWAUKEE — Demand from businesses and industries across southeastern Wisconsin for workers with artificial intelligence skills continues to grow, and despite concerns that AI could eliminate jobs, the president of Waukesha County Technical College says employers are looking for more trained workers, not fewer.
According to WCTC President and CEO Rich Barnhouse, the college’s artificial intelligence program was developed after repeated conversations with employers throughout the region about workforce needs.
Barnhouse said that after arriving at WCTC in late 2020, he met with 60 to 80 companies to discuss the skills they wanted from future graduates. While artificial intelligence had not yet become a mainstream topic, he said major employers were already talking about its growing importance.
“When I was meeting with these companies and asking this very simple question, ‘What are you looking for in grads coming out in the next couple of years,’ the big companies, Eaton, Waukesha Tool, Generac, Northwestern Mutual, and companies like that, they were all using the language artificial intelligence,” he said.
Barnhouse said smaller employers often were not using the term AI but were describing the same technologies and capabilities.
“When I put those two together, the big guys were talking about it, and the small and medium sized companies were describing it. That’s when I thought we’ve got to get serious about this, because this is where business and industry is going,” Barnhouse said. To develop the program, WCTC partnered with industry leaders and educational institutions, including Intel and Milwaukee School of Engineering. Barnhouse said the goal was to create a program tailored to Wisconsin employers.
“We built it for Wisconsin. We built it for the Midwest. We made very sure that we were building it for employers that were going to use it in Wisconsin,” Barnhouse said.
The college launched what Barnhouse said was Wisconsin’s first full undergraduate degree program in artificial intelligence. Student interest quickly surpassed expectations.
“That program filled very quickly, and so we thought we might start with 10 or 12 students. I think we started with about 40, and there are over 60 in it now,” he said.
Barnhouse said the rapid growth reflects increasing demand from employers as AI becomes more integrated into manufacturing, business and industry throughout the state.
In addition to certificates and associate degree options, WCTC is expanding the program this fall by adding a third year of advanced coursework.
“It’s AI, it’s adding senior level coursework that really bumps up against master’s level coursework,” Barnhouse said.
The additional year will allow students to continue beyond the traditional two-year associate degree curriculum.
Barnhouse said students already are enrolling in the new third-year option, including some who have completed bachelor’s degrees in computer science and are seeking advanced AI training.
The college recently graduated its first cohort of AI students, two years after launching the program.
“We just graduated our first graduates of the AI program, because we started it two years ago, and those that went full time are now graduating, and that’s really exciting. They’re the first AI grads in Wisconsin.” Barnhouse said.
One of the biggest challenges, Barnhouse said, is keeping pace with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence technology.
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“It’s a sign of things to come with the way technology is moving,” Barnhouse said. “The curriculum in our AI program changes about every three to four months.”
Faculty members continuously monitor developments in the field and adjust coursework accordingly.
“Our faculty are looking at what’s happening in the landscape every day, every week, and then thinking about what are the curricular changes that need to happen within the next month or two,” he said.
Looking ahead to the future
Looking ahead, Barnhouse said WCTC also is exploring curriculum focused on humanoid robotics, building on its existing robust robotics and automation programs.
“Humanoid robotics definitely will be going there, and that groundwork is starting,” he said.
Barnhouse said the college intends to position itself as a leader in emerging technologies, including AI, quantum computing and robotics.
“China is leading in humanoid robots. We think that that’s a travesty, and we’re leading in AI. We’re one of the leaders in the country in undergraduate work in artificial intelligence, and we intend to do the same with humanoids. Somebody’s got to plant their feet and say America first in these new technologies,” he said.
While public concerns about AI often focus on job displacement, Barnhouse said his experience working with businesses suggests technology is creating demand for skilled workers rather than reducing staffing levels.
“I’ve got to be honest with you, we’ve been heavily invested going at this for five years. I certainly see what’s happening in the early days, and I see what people are talking about. Our assessment is that AI, and these technologies are going to require more employees than less,” he said.
Companies, Barnhouse said, are using AI to improve productivity rather than eliminate jobs.
“If you really want to speed up and move and beat your competitor, you don’t reduce your staff, you turn each staff member into four, and that’s the really smart companies, that’s what they’re doing, and that’s going to allow people to do different things, branch into different areas, and that’s part of what we’re seeing,” he said.
Barnhouse said they don’t see people implementing AI and laying off employees.
“We see companies utilizing AI, giving their employees the ability to do a ton more, and then beating their competitors, that’s what we’re seeing,” Barnhouse said.
Barnhouse pointed to WCTC’s Applied AI Lab, which he described as the first applied AI lab of its kind in the country. The lab works with businesses to solve practical challenges using artificial intelligence.
Barnhouse said the bottom line on AI is that people are more afraid of it than they need to be.
“It’s like when computers came in. You had to learn how to use a computer if you wanted to continue to be employed,” he said.