As Drexel University College of Computing & Informatics (CCI) kicked off a new academic year last week, the College welcomed its first cohort 100 international students as part of a new partnership program with corporate partner DXC Technology.
The DXC @ Drexel International Program is the first initiative of its kind at Drexel CCI, wherein DXC Technology employees commit to a two-year program in one of four of CCI’s master’s programs: Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, or Software Engineering.
The DXC @ Drexel International Program aims to transform the tech workforce by providing DXC Technology employees with opportunities to advance their skills, experiences and careers, as well as enhancing recruiting opportunities.
The program is the result of a year-long collaboration between Drexel CCI and DXC Technology, with the idea emerging from a mutual commitment to creating an academic environment that bridges the gap between learning and doing.
“For DXC, one of the challenges [we encountered] was to access the best technical talent for today and the future,” said Jo Mason, DXC Technology executive vice president and chief human resources officer, at last week’s student welcome event. “[And so] we came up with the idea of DXC @ Drexel International Program.”
“The partnership between DXC Technology and our College is groundbreaking in several dimensions,” said CCI Dean and Isaac L. Auerbach Professor Yi Deng, PhD. “It helps to create a new model for tech talent development in the modern economy, who will be armed with cutting-edge knowledge, hands-on problem solving skills and industry acumen; it will provide notable support to DXC Technology’s talent needs in key areas while significantly enhance the growth and innovation of our College’s academic programs; and it creates a win-win-win model for the students, DXC Technology and the University.”
Students in the first-ever DXC @ Drexel cohort hail from four countries: India, Manila, Malawi and Mexico. Students accepted into the program expressed a passion around pursuing a career in digital technology and demonstrated technical competence through leading project teams or involvement in innovative solutions.
In addition to their coursework, DXC @ Drexel students will also complete Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) related to their area of study. Both the program’s curriculum and CPT were designed to embrace both organizations’ commitment to diversity and global engagement. Upon graduation, the students will be placed in one of DXC’s six Digital Transformation Centers (DTCs) around the world.
To support the program, DXC Technology is also launching a 5,000-square-foot Innovation Lab on the 9th floor of Drexel CCI’s home at 3675 Market Street, where students and CCI faculty can work, engage, brainstorm, collaborate, create and learn by doing.
“I am excited about the opening of the DXC Innovation Lab at Drexel University, immersed inside our College’s new home, which will help to build a seamless ecosystem for our collaborations,” said Deng. “I am grateful to the support of DXC Technology’s leadership and look forward to expanding our partnership.”