The electric and intelligent transportation industry is emerging around the world. In a context of severe labor shortages, new employment opportunities are opening up for a highly sought-after population of both young and adult workers. The various actors in the collaborative ecosystem will benefit from highlighting not only the diversity and richness of the challenges linked to this industry, but also the equally varied academic pathways that lead to these professions.
In this article, we will highlight some key skills required for a cluster of in-demand professions—namely those in data-related fields—and we will link them to various highly specialized technical programs offered to adult students through the continuing education program at Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne.
New career opportunities
Professions in the field of electric and intelligent transportation cover different phases of the product and service life cycle: design, research and development; manufacturing and assembly; as well as marketing and associated services. Notably, new jobs will be created in propulsion, power electronics, software development, and assembly.
In software development, new tasks related to data collection, cleaning, and processing are becoming increasingly important. We are also seeing the gradual integration of artificial intelligence into the electric and intelligent transportation sector.
Indeed, transport with electric vehicles, and more specifically autonomous electric vehicles, generates a phenomenal amount of data. This data will, in most cases, need to be processed in real time to determine and optimize the trajectories of the different vehicles.
Among the specialists who work in this software domain are:
- Artificial Intelligence Specialist
- Big Data Specialist
- Internet of Things (IoT) Specialist
- Business Intelligence and Analytics Developer
A specialist in artificial intelligence, focused on intelligent electric vehicles, plays a key role on a team that develops machine learning solutions for these vehicles. Tasks they will perform include the design, development, and deployment of autonomous driving algorithms. These will be used for object detection and classification, for locating objects in the space surrounding the vehicle, and for predicting vehicle movement. For those involved in the maintenance of vehicle components, developing predictive models is a major skill that can facilitate maintenance.
A big data specialist will be able to design and implement data acquisition and processing pipelines for data present in and around an intelligent electric vehicle. Tasks they will perform include the design, development, and deployment of data acquisition and processing chains in intelligent electric vehicles. These steps will serve object detection and classification, their localization in the space surrounding the vehicle, as well as navigation assistance.
An IoT specialist, or embedded systems developer, will be able to provide solutions for selecting and deploying sensors, connectivity solutions, and integrating data processing solutions. Tasks they will perform include the design, development, and deployment of sensors and connectivity solutions in intelligent vehicles. These will serve object detection and classification, their localization in the space surrounding the vehicle, and navigation assistance. In addition, an important task will be setting up a communication chain linking the vehicle to a cloud platform for data consolidation and processing.
A business intelligence and analytics specialist will be able to provide data analysis solutions. Tasks they will carry out include the design, development, and deployment of reports, visualizations, dashboards, as well as predictive models.
Highly specialized learning pathways
As the field of electric transportation is constantly evolving, learning is continuous and it is vital that specialists adopt a strategy of ongoing training to update both their technical and non-technical skills.
The continuing education program at Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne offers several technical study programs and professional development workshops in the areas of computer programming, security, software quality, data processing, business intelligence, analytics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things.
These practice-oriented programs were developed with contributions from industry professionals and the teachers at Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne. These programs are regularly revised. The skills identified are those most in demand on the job market. Graduates are able to integrate into the industry quickly and thus contribute to Quebec’s rise as a leader in electric and intelligent transportation.
Since spring 2022, these programs have been offered in a brand-new lifelong learning space dedicated to innovation and the development of talent in digital technologies. Located in Montreal, in the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough and at the gates of the Mile-Ex, the Agora numérique is an incubator of talent and innovation. In a context of labor shortage and the acceleration of companies’ digital transformation, it will annually welcome nearly 1,000 adult students who will find qualifying, highly specialized training there to enter the job market, and 1,300 workers who will come to update their skills. This major project, representing an investment of $28.4 million, has been realized thanks to financial contributions from the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity.
Learn more about the programs presented in this article:
- Technical Specialization in Artificial Intelligence
- Big Data Developer
- Internet of Things Specialist (IoT)
- Business Intelligence and Analytics Specialist
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Cover image: Computer lab, Agora numérique, Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne
This sponsored content was produced as part of the En route! project – The career destination in electric and intelligent transportation.
