GÜTERSLOH — Bertelsmann, a prominent German media, services, and education conglomerate, has received an overwhelming response to its globally available Udacity Technology Scholarship Program, with 47,300 applications pouring in from 190 countries. The Scholarship Program, aimed at addressing the growing shortage of skilled workers in the IT and tech sector, offers 15,000 scholarships for courses in Cloud, Data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Udacity online education platform. This marks the final round of scholarships under Bertelsmann’s “#50000Chances” initiative, launched in 2019, according to a press release published on EuropaWire.

The success of the scholarship program can be attributed to Bertelsmann’s extensive media campaign, which reached over 50 million people worldwide. The campaign featured advertisements across various platforms, including TV, print, online, and social media, with Bertelsmann Chairman and CEO Thomas Rabe endorsing the initiative. Notably, an ad featuring Rabe was showcased on a large screen in New York’s iconic Times Square, amplifying the program’s visibility.

Thomas Rabe emphasized the increasing importance of tech skills in today’s job market and expressed satisfaction with the program’s popularity. Immanuel Hermreck, Bertelsmann’s Chief Human Resources Officer, highlighted the high demand for the Business Analytics course, particularly relevant for entry into the Tech & Data fields. He also praised the significant interest shown by Bertelsmann employees, with over 5,300 applications from within the company.

The Scholarship Program offers courses in Azure Cloud Architect, Business Analytics, and Machine Learning with Tensor Flow, catering to diverse skill levels and interests. Data courses garnered the highest demand, followed by Artificial Intelligence and Cloud. India, Nigeria, and the U.S. emerged as the top countries of application, with a quarter of applicants being women.

The first phase of the program, the Challenge Course, is set to commence this week, with 1,600 participants qualifying for advanced Nanodegree courses. These courses, developed in partnership with leading tech companies, provide practical, online degree programs certified with accredited degrees (“nanodegrees”) and can be completed alongside full-time jobs.

Bertelsmann’s commitment to fostering talent and addressing skill shortages underscores its dedication to innovation and education in the digital age.