Providence, RI – Governor Gina M. Raimondo recently joined Infosys to launch the company’s new Design and Innovation Center in Providence. The governor and Infosys also announced a new partnership with the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) to create the Digital Economy Aspirations Lab (DEAL) to develop educational programming that helps prepare students for the growing number of jobs in the digital economy.
The Design and Innovation Center, located at 75 Fountain Street, will help close the gap for design and human-centric skills in technology fields.
The center offers early-career designers and design graduates unique training opportunities with in-demand digital skills — including exposure to systems, platforms, strategy, and organization domains, to make them more employable in today’s digital world.
By studying everything from user experience to how people interact with systems, these design-focused hires will be equipped to create 360-degree solutions to business challenges.
Infosys has already hired more than 100 toward its goal of creating 500 jobs in Rhode Island by 2022.
The Digital Economy Aspirations Lab will be housed at Infosys’s Providence Center, with plans to open more at CCRI campuses and expand nationally.
The labs will include physical innovation spaces to showcase next-generation technologies required for the jobs of the future; research and development of customized curriculum tied to a four-year degree pathway with a focus on in-demand industries including healthcare, defense, advanced business services, and manufacturing; and the creation of a mentor program that will bolster career guidance and support résumé preparation and interview coaching for students.
The first task force will focus on identifying entry-level roles across industries suitable for community college graduates, the competencies associated with those roles, and the skills needed to meet those competencies. This work will establish clear pathways for students to move from community college to livable wage jobs to opportunities for further education and career advancement.
The second task force will focus on helping colleges recognize experiential learning and provide standardized credits within all degree programs at the community college level that would articulate to four-year college programs.
