Professor of Science Education Carla C. Johnson Receives Industry Partner Innovator Award, Adaptive Leadership Award from Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Closing the Skills Gap Program has awarded NC State College of Education Professor of Science Education Carla C. Johnson with both the Partner Innovator Award and the Adaptive Leadership Award for her work with the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Academy. Johnson led the establishment of the AI Academy at NC State in 2020 with a $6 million Department of Labor grant with the goal supporting workers with training, coursework and certification to work in the emerging field of AI. 

“I am very honored to receive this recognition on behalf of the AI Academy and our industry partner network,” Johnson said. “We have worked very hard over the past five years to build our partnerships out from four founding partners to over 100 today. The AI Academy serves organizations across all industry sectors in addition to IT companies.”

The first nationally-registered AI apprenticeship program in the United States, the AI Academy has prepared more than 2,000 individuals for careers in artificial intelligence and recently expanded their work through a National Science Foundation ExLENT grant to make the program available as an externship opportunity for people from a variety of different backgrounds – including low-income and first-generation students – to broaden access to STEM careers. 

Beginning this month, the AI Academy will expand even further as they welcome a pilot cohort of K-12 teachers to grow their AI knowledge and skills and enable them to begin offering AI coursework for high school students.

“Our work is focused on growing teacher expertise in fundamental AI knowledge and skills to enable effective delivery of AI coursework in high school to provide students with early and engaging learning experiences in AI, making AI post-secondary study and careers a viable option for them,” Johnson said.