The vision around Arm-based Labs and learning hubs in emerging markets was cast a couple of years ago. We have committed to providing industry relevant competencies expressed in terms of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Often in emerging markets, job skills are lagging the traditional pace of global technological innovation. In addition, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) inadvertently fail to provide the required curriculum, tooling or talent pipelines. So self-directed learning opportunities present a new pathway towards much desired “disruption”. Allied with the longer-term approach of working with Arm partners to influence education curriculums directly and through the provision of courseware.
There is a global need for coordinating and scaling workforce development programs as we mature into the next semiconductor led “industrial revolution”. Even within the United States, recent Industrial Advisory Committees and Working Groups that I have been privy to associate with, have reached consensus on the need for diverse curricular pathways. Pathways towards the jobs that in some cases are yet to be defined. For example, professional societies like the IEEE have developed short courses and training programs to support a growing need for KSA-to-Education-to-Jobs frameworks. Even within the emerging markets of Africa and South America.
Following the successful launch of the Arm labs in Ghana earlier this year, there was a deeper sense of purpose towards delivering a sustainable pipeline of home-grown talent. Talent armed with world class training, tools, and technology resources, on Arm. Program success was also subject to industry standard metrics that included KPIs in the following categories:
Awareness around the labs and student communities built through meet-up groups and on-campus programs. Led by the student leaders of the clubs and managed through online and offline resources including social media and chat groups These Communities of Practice have grown to thousands of members across a variety of user groups. Increasing numbers of students, start-up founders and researchers are being exposed to the field of semiconductors, on Arm.
Accessibility to the lab and its resident resources has also accelerated the number of experiential learning opportunities for members of the community. Leveraging Arm workshops, tech talks, blogs and partner resources, members are sharing, training, and peer-coaching themselves into a formidable network of self-directed learners.
The labs have also provided opportunities towards training students with Arm-based tools and convening training resources across Arm partnered curriculums. From Arduino to Edge Impulse, Sparkfun and Micro:bit, a steady pipeline of industry relevant training resources is introduced to community members on a frequent basis, driving engagement, fostering level-setting activities and promoting collaborative innovation.
The launch of the labs quickly led to the formation of Student Clubs within the campuses. Ushering in a generation of talent ready to explore, learn, and build on Arm. Then the Professional Certificate in Advanced Embedded Systems on Arm was announced on EdX a few weeks later. I was flooded with email requests from faculty, graduate students and ecosystem tech leaders across the country to confirm their eligibility and the pathways to certification.
As we went through informational interviews for prospective candidates, I was reminded by the learners’ call to action provided under the Job Outlook tab on EDX:
"Companies are looking for individuals that are proactive in acquiring industry-relevant skills. A Professional Certificate in Embedded Systems Essentials on Arm will help to validate the technical and behavioral skills desired by potential employers."
Over the last few months, we recruited ten (10) members of the African ecosystem. All ten (10) members successfully earned their Professional Certificates in Advanced Embedded Systems on Arm and accelerated their pathway into IoT and ML.
These individuals are our Ambassadors and Community Champions. The communities that they have built and supported thus far represent a slate of early adopters, and technology enablers. They produce and consume knowledge resources towards a shared purpose enabled by Arm foundational technologies and our remarkable ecosystem. They support thousands of people across graduate and learner communities which they have built thus far. These communities remain clear examples of the rapid and dynamic nature of skills demand within the current landscape. As well as the strong potential for exciting new innovation that may arise from Arm adoption in Emerging markets.
So, what is next for these Ambassadors and Community Champions as they move out of education and develop their careers?
Should they find work within the Arm ecosystem? They may provide valuable skills and fresh perspectives in organizations for which Arm provides partner management and technical support.
Should they choose to become software engineers? They could join fellow Developer Ambassadors within the recently launched Arm Developer community. To learn more about the Arm Developer program, Dominica Amanfo's blog showcases the progress to date. You can also visit the Arm Developer Hub.
Statements of knowledge, skills and abilities required of different roles (KSA Frameworks), enabling young people to progress through education and into employment, learning & developing in the workplace with Arm.
Greetings Stephen. I am quite impressed reading your KSA Frameworks story emerging in Africa. I am especially interested because I would like to explore how I can make this happen in Cameroon. I am a Computer Engineer of Cameroonian origin (resident in the US) and would like to help bring ARM Technology to Cameroon. Please if you can point me towards how I can begin embarking on this venture to duplicate the Ghana Success in Cameroon would be quite beneficial to me. I am willing to invest all the time needed towards this venture. Thank you for your time.