Press Release | Gütersloh, 09/03/2019

Bertelsmann Opens Applications for Digital Scholarship Program with Udacity

• Over three years, Bertelsmann is awarding up to 50,000 scholarships for online courses in the fields of cloud, data and artificial intelligence
• First round of applications for 15,000 tech scholarships now open until 6 November 2019

Bertelsmann now invites interested parties worldwide to apply for one of 15,000 Udacity scholarships in the fields of Cloud, Data, or Artificial Intelligence.Those selected will then participate in a three-and-a-half-month Scholarship Challenge. Over the next three years, Bertelsmann will devote several million euros to funding up to 50,000 scholarships in these fields to provide learners with the necessary digital skills for the labor market of the future.

To be considered, applicants must focus on one of three subject areas:

• Cloud, i.e. applications for online-based IT infrastructures
• Data, i.e. applications for the analysis and interpretation of large volumes of data
• Artificial Intelligence, i.e. applications related to machine learning and intelligent algorithms

These scholarships are the first stage of a two-phase global initiative by the international media, services, and education group. In the second phase, the top 5,000 performing Challenge phase students in each subject area will be awarded a full scholarship for a Udacity Nanodegree program: Cloud DevOps Engineer, Data Analyst, or Deep Learning.

Thomas Rabe, Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, said: “Bertelsmann has set itself the goal of becoming the most technologically advanced media, services, and education company. We are particularly looking at opportunities in the fields of Cloud, Data, and Artificial Intelligence. We consider it our responsibility to empower as many people as possible to be successful in the digital world, and to support policymakers in this. The continuing-education initiatives that we carried out in cooperation with Udacity and Google in the past met with great interest – which is why we are awarding more scholarships than ever before over the next three years: around 50,000.”

Bertelsmann and Udacity will select the scholarship recipients in November 2019, and the winners will begin the Challenge course in the same month. Depending on the individual’s pre-existing knowledge, participants can expect to spend between three and five hours a week over the duration of the course. The scholarships are aimed at both beginners (basic computer skills are recommended) and experienced programmers.

In recent years, Bertelsmann has already awarded several thousand Udacity scholarships as part of a cooperation with Google. The EU Commission honored the joint training program with the EU Digital Skills Award.

“There simply aren’t enough people, who are equipped with Cloud, Data, and Artificial Intelligence skills,” said Gabriel Dalporto, CEO of Udacity. “That’s why Bertelsmann and Udacity share a commitment to train new talent and diversify the talent pool in these three exciting fields. I’m confident that the Bertelsmann Scholarship Program will empower learners to master new skills and land some of the most exciting and in-demand jobs available today!”

Udacity, headquartered in Mountain View, California, is a learning platform that develops practical online courses in collaboration with leading tech companies. Bertelsmann is one of the company’s largest shareholders.

You can find further information and submit an application at www.udacity.com/bertelsmann-tech-scholarships  or using the hashtag #50000chances.

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company has 117,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.7 billion in the 2018 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world.