Becoming an AI Engineer in Palestine - Rabee AlQasem’s Upskilling with Google

The Palestinian economy has experienced severe shocks in the early months of 2024, primarily due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The future remains highly uncertain as these tensions continue to threaten economic stability. A recent World Bank report reveals a staggering loss of nearly half a million jobs in the Palestinian economy since October 2023. This includes approximately 200,000 job losses in the Gaza Strip and 144,000 in the West Bank. The conflict has not only stifled growth rates but has also exacerbated the already fragile labour market in the Palestinian territories.

The devastating impact on employment has put immense pressure on Palestinian youth, underscoring the urgent need for them to develop skills that meet global standards. Young professionals, like Rabee Al Qasem from Palestine, face significant hurdles in finding suitable job opportunities despite their qualifications.

Rabee’ upskilling story with Palestine Launchpad and Google

Rabee Al Qasem, 31, has a background in Management Information Systems and a master’s degree in Data Science. Despite his expertise as a tech professional, he had a strong passion for AI Engineering, a newly-emerging tech specialisation. While seeking opportunities, he came across the Palestine Launchpad programme with Google. This fully-funded scholarship programme offers Nanodegrees through Udacity, the second-highest-ranking online platform, known for its high-quality courses and personalised learning experiences.

Rabee applied for the Palestine Launchpad with Google programme, and he was accepted!

“What’s unique about the programme is that the learning journey includes the chance to participate in hackathons and community events, connecting with a local and global network of experts, potential employers, and peers. Additionally, the program exposes participants to various career opportunities,” Rabee explained. This experience has not only enhanced his technical skills but has also expanded his professional network, opening up new avenues for career growth.

Palestine Launchpad with Google boosts Palestinian tech workforce

Launched in early 2023 by Google, SPARK, and Udacity, the Palestine Launchpad Programme aims to boost the tech ecosystem and workforce in Palestine. The programme seeks to assist 3,500 tech enthusiasts within the Palestinian tech community, helping them grow and find employment in the tech and digital sectors of the local and global economy.

In-demand Nanodegrees building the Palestinian tech economy

The programme offers worldwide acknowledged Nanodegree certificates in specialisations like Data Science, AI Engineering and Web development with different difficulty levels to meet learners abilities and career plans. ”I chose AI Engineering because in today’s dynamic world, AI is a super assistant, it redefines work and AI tools are becoming essential in various fields. To pioneer in adopting AI engineering, I completed two Nanodegrees: AI Engineering with Python and Intro to Machine Learning with TensorFlow,” said Rabee.

The programme has awarded scholarships to over 1500+ learners and aims to grant 6,000 by 2025. It provides tech career workshops, job interview prep, personalised mentoring from local and global experts, and access to career fairs and tech networks. Graduates of the programme earn Nanodegree certificates and work on real-world projects, deepening their knowledge and skills. The flexible online learning journey is designed to elevate the participants’ tech career and empower them to become a driving force in Palestine’s tech ecosystem.

Nanodegree vs traditional degree

Rabee, similar to a lot of IT and computer science graduates, found great benefit of the Nanodegree curriculum. The content of the Nanodegree programmes is co-created and continually refined with industry leaders.Unlike a traditional degree programme, each Nanodegree is deeply focused on a specific topic, ensuring the learner gains relevant, in-depth knowledge and comprehensive understanding specific to each specialisation topic, minimising the time spent on unnecessary or outdated material.

On the practical side, the programme primarily integrates hands-on projects and assignments that mirror real-world challenges. These projects go far beyond step-by-step guides, cultivating the critical thinking required for workplace relevance. This approach helps learners grow their portfolio of work that can be shown to prospective employers.

“As the tech sector rapidly evolves, education needs to focus on the most in-demand tech specialisations, which are often missing from traditional university curricula. Udacity Nanodegrees offer self-paced learning with committed assignments and projects, mirroring real-world tech environments. This approach not only helps learners upskill in crucial tech specialisations, but also prepares them for the hybrid and remote work environments that are dominating in today’s tech job market,” Abeer Bibi, programme Lead explained.

With clarity and structure, learners can maintain their motivation and stay on track to achieve their career goals. After finishing the 6-month Nanodegree programme, our graduates safely say that the learning journey was as efficient as online learning could be. Moreover, they will be confident in their skills, knowledge and network to enter the global tech talent pool to become top earners.

Applications are open again!

In alignment with SPARK’s commitment to support Palestinian youth, the Palestine Launchpad programme opens the applications for the 3rd cohort on the 22nd of July, until 9th of September. This call of applications is not only open for Palestinian techies like Rabee who are looking for upskilling to advance in their tech career, but also for anyone with a passion to build their tech skills, or shift their already established career path to the highly in-demand tech sector. The programme accepts learners from different backgrounds, as long as they pass the online assessment for the scholarship.

Whether you are a university student, a fresh graduate, a team-leader who lacks the knowledge of the latest technology, or even an established executive, we encourage you to apply for the 3rd cohort of the programme offering 6 Nanodegrees, in 3 main specialisations. Visit the application page here for more information.