Politixia
Harper College is launching three new artificial intelligence certificate programs
this fall to help meet the growing demand for AI-related skills in the workplace.
The AI Strategist,Computer Vision and Deep Learning Specialist, and Cloud Computing Analyst certificate programs will provide beginner to advanced-level training for students
seeking to add AI-related skills, advance in their current fields or explore new career
paths.
Annabel Hasty, Harper’s AI and Cloud Computing Program coordinator, said the new eight-week
certificates are stackable, which means students can take them individually or combine
them.
Industry-recognized certifications from Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft
are embedded into each new program, giving students the opportunity to earn Harper
certificates and additional professional credentials as they move through their coursework.
Courses will use open educational materials (OER), free online tools and hands-on learning environments, with no textbooks or paid
tools required whether students attend online or in person.
Harper’s new AI certificates also fit within the Department of Labor AI literacy framework
released in February 2026. It provides content areas and principles to guide AI literacy
efforts in education and the workforce and says that every worker will need baseline
AI literacy skills to succeed in an increasingly AI-driven economy.
“These certificates help students develop the kinds of AI skills employers are increasingly
looking for,” Hasty said. “The certificates are stackable. They’re three different
kinds of certificates, designed to fit different career goals and interests. If you’re
interested in how organizations make decisions about AI and ethics, the AI Strategist
Certificate may be the best fit. If you want to understand the technical side of AI,
including programming and machine learning, the Computer Vision and Deep Learning
Specialist Certificate provides that pathway. If you’re interested in cloud technologies
behind many AI systems, the Cloud Computing Analyst Certificate focuses on that area.”
For those who are new to AI, Hasty recommends beginning with the AI Strategist Certificate,
which includes introductory classes, then moves to more in-depth concepts like machine
learning and AI ethics. The certificate prepares students for a variety of roles,
including AI strategy analyst, AI product manager and AI consultant.
“An AI strategist could help an organization evaluate which AI tools make the most
sense for its needs,” Hasty said. “For example, a company might be comparing Gemini,
ChatGPT and Claude; it’s you making the evaluation. This certificate gives students
a foundation for helping organizations make those kinds of decisions.”
The Computer Vision and Deep Learning Specialist Certificate allows students to look
at how certain applications are used in automation, manufacturing, health care and
security systems. It includes courses on applied math for AI, information technology
fundamentals and Python programming for machine learning models, where students will
learn about AI agents and the accelerated impact they are having on the business world.
The certificate helps students develop skills for careers such as computer vision
engineer, machine learning engineer and data engineer.
“Computer vision is used in so many different ways, from self-driving cars to restaurants,
hotels and manufacturing,” Hasty said. “When you talk into your phone and it gives
you a suggestion or response, natural language processing helps the system understand
what you’re saying. How does all of that work? What do we need to consider when we
use this kind of automation? Those are the types of questions we explore in the courses.”
The Cloud Computing Analyst Certificate explores how cloud computing programs are
used in the real world. It also takes an in-depth look at cloud computing platforms
Microsoft Azure and AWS as well as cybersecurity.
The certificate helps to position students for careers such as cloud support analyst,
cloud engineer and cloud operations analyst.
“For students who want to become more well-rounded or are interested in cloud careers,
this certificate provides another set of skills,” Hasty said. “You’ll learn about
cloud platforms and how to deal with cyberattacks.”
According to the labor market data analytics company Lightcast, careers in AI can
have average salaries that range from $47,798 to $210,038.
Students who have already taken several of Harper’s AI courses said gaining AI-related
skills makes them feel more prepared for the future. Aditi Raut has a graduate degree
in business and is now pursuing an associate degree in AI and cloud computing. After taking Harper’s Careers in AI, Machine Learning and Cloud Computing course,
the 48-year-old Palatine resident said she’s looking forward to using what she has
learned to advance her career.
“I see that AI is creating new career opportunities in fields like data science, machine
learning, cybersecurity and AI ethics,” she said. “This means continuous learning
for skills like adaptability and problem-solving. Through the course, I learned about
interview preparation. I should be ready to explain my technical projects and hone
my problem-solving and communication skills.”
Oleksandr Gavrylyuk is a second-year computer science student. The 26-year-old from
Buffalo Grove believes learning AI skills at Harper gives him more opportunities.
“As somebody who is actively looking for a job, having a concrete pathway from education
to job placement is very beneficial,” he said.
Hasty said Harper’s AI programs are like a best-kept secret, and she wants to continue
getting the word out.
“AI is impacting so many career fields. If you’re going into business, manufacturing,
automation, health care or even computer science, those are some of the fields that
we’re seeing the greatest need for these certificates,” she said. “Whether you’re
entering the job market or already established in your career, these certificates
give you the opportunity to add AI, technology and data skills to the experience you
already have.”
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