TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay is growing in economic development, making a name for itself as a technology hub.
“Over the past five years, the tech sector in Tampa has grown by 30%, in terms of job growth,” said Craig Richard, President and CEO of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council.
Experts believe this is just the beginning.
“We certainly see the tech sector continuing to flourish within Tampa,” said David Bevirt, Executive Vice President of Corporate Leasing and Strategy for Strategic Property Partners.
The Tampa Bay Economic Development Council predicts that by 2027, 3,700 more tech jobs will be added to the Tampa Bay region.
“Tampa is not going to be a single hub. Tampa is a booming, thriving city with the combined Tampa, Clearwater, St. Pete; it’s millions of people here. So tech is a major component of that,” said Brian Murphy, Founder and CEO of ReliaQuest.
Artificial Intelligence is projected to be a huge disruption in the tech sector.
“When you have that, it’s really on the cusp of redefining the tech sector. You have to do all the things that you can to stay in front of the trend,” said Richard.
That’s why USF created a new artificial intelligence certificate program.
It’s intended for working professionals with a computer background to help our workforce stay ahead of the curve.
“There is great need for upscaling existing workers who do not have AI skills,” said Sudeep Sarkar, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Computer Science and Engineering at USF.
Sarkar is leading this effort at USF. He told ABC Action News that the program was created to teach many skills.
“This particular certificate is designed to give you very deep skills to actually do coding, AI coding, modify AI algorithms that are out there, create new components that need to be done for a particular problem,” said Sarkar.
USF is also working on another program for people who don’t already have a computer background.
They’re working to grow the AI talent pool as more tech startups eye Tampa Bay.
“This is something we want to bring to the Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Bay area, for the last five to 10 years, has been booming. It has almost become the tech capital of Florida and we are so happy to help with the training of the workforce,” said Sarkar.
“These are the types of things that get the attention of other tech companies and it solidifies our position as an emerging tech hub,” said Richard.
The deadline to register for the course is August 1.
