Santander and IBM to award 1,000 Digital Experience scholarships in AI and cybersecurity

Banco Santander has launched a new scholarship programme with IBM to boost the employability of job seekers and those looking to make a career change. 

The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) shows that, in 2019, the percentage of people that had at least basic digital skills reached 58%. A large part of the EU population, however, still lacks basic digital skills, even though most jobs require such skills. According to the European Commission, 70% of businesses said a dearth of staff with adequate digital skills hinders investment. Europe also faces a shortage of digital experts to develop cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of everyone.

The 1,000 Santander Technology Scholarships | Digital Experience IBM participants will receive training that bolsters digital capabilities and knowledge of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, which are in high demand with organizations ramping up their AI investments in 2021¹ (three in four have explored or implemented AI²).

“I’m very proud to launch the first round of this scholarship programme with IBM; an unrivalled partner and leader in technology with whom we share a commitment to education. With this initiative, we’re looking to reskill and upskill to boost participants’ employability, regardless of experience”, explained Susana García Espinel, director of Santander SmartBank, Santander Universities and Universia España.

“IBM has a strong commitment and constantly invests in skilling and reskilling programmes to make the digital era more inclusive. These programmes open a new avenue for job seekers entering the IT field requiring digital capabilities that are now in high demand in all industries. We are proud that Santander will now use our Open P-TECH platform”, says Horacio Morell Gálvez, president of IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel.

The programme is open to students and workers resident in Spain and to anyone older than 18 who has completed the online evaluation and registration test at https://www.becas-santander.com/es/program/becas-santander-tecnologia-digital-experience-ibm.

The course, designed by the Universia España and IBM, will be on IBM's Open P-TECH platform from 14 to 25 June. Its syllabus, which will require a 23-hour commitment, will focus on the most relevant basic digital subjects in the digital transformation, including design thinking, blockchain, cybersecurity and Watson.