Latest news with #KetteringUniversity
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How companies are rethinking their vetting of engineering candidates in the age of AI coding tools
When Intuit chief technology officer Alex Balazs was getting his undergraduate mechanical engineering degree at Kettering University more than three decades ago, he recalls the Michigan school's professors being split on whether they'd let students use calculators in class. 'And now, when you think about it, of course you use a calculator,' says Balazs. Similarly, he believes today's AI coding assistants that help developers write software will gain broad acceptance in schools and the workplace. In response, he said Intuit is reevaluating how it tests potential engineering hires during the interviews. One expected change is that the coding exercises will be more complicated, requiring that candidates solve bigger problems, with the expectation that those candidates will use AI tools to complete some of those tasks. 'Because when they arrive inside Intuit, that's how we expect them to work,' says Balazs. AI coding tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Windsurf have rapidly grown in popularity, especially among more junior software developers and engineers. Veteran workers, in contrast, are more pessimistic about the tools and the impact of AI on their jobs, according to surveys. CTOs and chief information officers frequently laud the big productivity gains the coding assistants provide and the help they give employees in getting off to a faster start at their new jobs as they learn company-specific programming languages. Usage rates, which many CIOs and CTOs have been closely monitoring, have increased steadily over time. With new tools comes a rethinking of the skills required for an AI-enabled developer workforce, says Deborah Golden, chief innovation officer at accounting and consulting giant Deloitte. It will be less important for engineers to memorize application programming interfaces (APIs), the rules that let software applications communicate with each other, and more critical for them to show good judgement on the job, including determining if there are any risks or bias in AI-written code. 'AI doesn't just level the playing field, it tilts towards those that can adapt quickly,' says Golden. For both new college graduates and more established working professionals, embracing AI means 'anybody can be left behind the same way that anybody can leap forward,' she adds. Several CEOs of major corporations have said that 20% to 30% of code written within their companies is being done by AI tools. But those claims should be taken with a grain of salt, according to Andrew Rabinovich, the head of AI and machine learning at online freelancer marketplace Upwork. 'The numbers can be highly inflated because it's verbose,' says Rabinovich, referring to AI coding assistants regularly churning out unnecessary lines of code. He also says coding assistants aren't good at personalization, or gearing what they write to the tastes of more senior software engineers. Some of those managers may reject AI-written code if not presented the way they like it. 'The older or the more experienced of a software engineer you are, the more habits and rules you impose on the LLM in order to be satisfactory,' says Rabinovich. 'But if you're a junior software engineer, it's kind of an open playing field, and you're like, 'I'm okay with everything, as long as it gets the job done.'' Brendan Humphreys, the CTO of Australian software maker Canva, says some in the industry have expressed concern about 'cheating' during the interview process, with candidates using AI tools to mask how well they can write code. 'We think that's the wrong framing,' says Humphreys. 'Software engineering as a job has fundamentally changed. And you need to now demonstrate that you can have competency in using these tools to accelerate your output.' With that in mind, Humphreys has changed Canva's assessment criteria to make it tougher, yet more ambiguous—meaning job prospects cannot just feed inputs into LLMs to get a response that would satisfy Canva's expectations. 'You're going to have to work with an AI intelligently and we want to see that competency,' adds Humphreys. Autodesk CTO Raji Arasu points to an AI jobs report published last week by the design software company that found mentions of AI skills in U.S. job listings increased 56% in the first four months of 2025 versus last year's level for the design and make industries, which includes construction, architecture, and engineering. With AI being adopted across more kinds of work, Arasu says she's seen 'the initial fear has been replaced with enthusiasm to try and dabble and experiment in new ways.' That's led Autodesk to embrace more adaptability, actively encouraging software developers to be less siloed on specific projects. 'We're creating an environment within our company where it's okay for you to disrupt another team's work,' says Arasu. Nikhil Krishnan, senior vice president and CTO of data science for the enterprise AI software company C3 AI, says his business almost always conducts in-person interviews, so there's little risk that candidates are cheating with AI tools unless C3 wants to test them on how to solve a problem with an AI coding assistant. He prioritizes problem solving and reasoning skills and is on the hunt for candidates who have curiosity, a passion to learn, can show their ability to absorb new information, and work well on a team. With those skills in mind, Krishnan says C3 AI has a bias toward more senior candidates. 'I do see a world where it becomes harder and harder, as a junior entry-level software engineer, to land that first opportunity,' says Krishnan. 'We certainly find that we are much more careful about who we're hiring.' John Kell Send thoughts or suggestions to CIO Intelligence here. Fortune recently unveiled a new ongoing series, Fortune AIQ, dedicated to navigating AI's real-world impact. Our second collection of stories make up a special digital issue of Fortune in which we explore how technology is already changing the way the biggest companies do business in finance, law, agriculture, manufacturing, and more. These companies are rolling up their sleeves to implement AI. Read more AI avatars are here in full force—and they're serving some of the world's biggest companies. Read more Will AI hold up in court? Attorneys say it's already changing the practice of law. Read more Banking on AI: Firms such as BNY balance high risk with the potential for transformative tech. Read more Recycling has been a flop, financially. AMP Robotics is using AI to make it pay off. Read more AI on the farm: The startup helping farmers slash losses and improve cows' health. Read more Can AI help America make stuff again? Read more This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Kettering University Aligns College And Work To Maximize ROI
Emphasizing light, transparency, and interconnected learning spaces, the Kettering University ... More Learning Commons building fosters creativity, community, and hands-on collaboration—skills that students rely upon for success in coursework and co-ops. A 2024 study from the Strada Institute for the Future of Work paints a bleak picture of college graduates. Over half are underemployed one year after college, and almost half remain in the same situation ten years later. Underemployment often arises because students graduate with theoretical knowledge but lack the practical skills directly relevant to employers' needs. For the past 100 years, Kettering University, through its unique co-op program, has had the solution to this problem, evidenced by the fact that 99% of its students are fully employed within one year after graduation. With the average student loan debt exceeding $38,000 and the average time to pay off student loans now exceeding 20 years, and with students increasingly questioning the notion that college is the best path to a secure future, the time has come to take a closer look at an alternative that works. Kettering University's Unique Approach Kettering University believes it has the answer in its co-op program. An engineering school founded in 1919 as 'General Motors Institute' to serve the budding automotive industry, Kettering has a unique 50% workplace/50% classroom model that provides clear answers to questions of return on investment and employability after college. Dr. Robert K. McMahan, President of Kettering University, describes their approach in his advice to undergraduates: 'Don't focus on the college experience. Focus instead on likely outcomes ten years out.' He goes on to stress that 'at Kettering, we partner with over 500 companies to coordinate highly rigorous academics with mentored, hands-on work in each student's area of professional interest.' The secret of Kettering's academic model is this commitment to 'hands-on work' enshrined in its co-op program, considered the most robust in the country. Kettering students begin co-oping with employers early in their first year and spend an equal amount of time over five years in the classroom and the workplace, graduating with a full two and a half years of meaningful job experience, and having earned as much as $100,000 during their studies. For instance, a mechanical engineering student at Kettering might alternate academic semesters with paid, hands-on roles at General Motors, acquiring direct experience in automotive design, manufacturing processes, and project management. By focusing on the long-term goal of creating future employees who are not just ready to work but ready to excel, Kettering has developed a model that produces graduates prepared to contribute as valuable employees on their first day of full-time work. In fact, by graduation, many have advanced beyond entry-level roles, finding themselves fast-tracked toward higher positions while their inexperienced peers from other schools face 12 to 18 months of training. 'It's a workforce supply-chain issue,' says McMahan, a successful venture capitalist as well as a renowned astrophysicist. 'We see industry as the client and students as the product, which may sound impersonal, but it's good for both parties. The extent to which higher education fails to understand itself as part of the workforce supply-chain is the extent to which it will continue to drift into irrelevance.' McMahan also emphasizes that Kettering's combination of rigorous academics and mentored employment focuses on a specific goal: mastery, meaning that students don't merely learn theory—they repeatedly apply skills in real-world settings until they demonstrate consistent, superior competence. 'Our graduates succeed because they have gained a level of mastery in their chosen professional discipline. Mastery is critical to their employability.' Kettering University Delivers Significant ROI Kettering is clearly meeting this goal. A 2017 study showed that Kettering University was having significant success in categories like economic mobility and starting salaries. Most intriguingly, it was the top performer among 71 highly selective private universities when it came to moving students entering university in the bottom quintile of household wealth to being in the top quintile at age 34. In regard to return on investment, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce ranked Kettering University 22nd among all private non-profit universities, placing it ahead of many more expensive, more highly selective institutions. According to Kettering University graduates realize an 8% annualized return on their educational investment. Kettering University Graduates Ascend The Ranks Not surprisingly, a remarkable number of Kettering graduates have reached positions in Fortune 500 C-suites, including some of the top executive roles. Kettering alumni have held president or CEO roles at General Motors, Yamaha Motor Corporation, Reuters, Valvoline, Caesars Entertainment, Inc., Climate Impact Partners, PHINIA, REC Foundation, Masco, SAE International, Singer Vehicle Design, Kuhmute, and CNext. In recent years, Kettering alumni have also led at Merrill-Lynch, Delphi, BorgWarner, Continental Airlines, Benchmark Capital (early investor in eBay, Snap, Red Hat, Jamba Juice, etc.), Gibson Guitars, Greyhound, LG Energy Solutions Michigan, and more. Significant results for a school with only 2,400 students. But Will Kettering University Ascend The Rankings? With such success, prospective students and their families should focus more on substantial ranking factors related to a student's academic experience or future success, rather than traditional ranking criteria that emphasize an institution's reputation or the publication and citation records of its faculty. If the goal of education is a successful career and a meaningful life, individual attention and hands-on mentoring will matter much more than the size of the endowment or the selectivity of admissions, which are often included in common ratings. As dissatisfaction with the current state of undergraduate education continues to grow, the need for new ranking systems with criteria more relevant to families will increase. Whether this results in changes to existing methodologies or the development of new ones remains to be seen. Kettering University Provides A Way Forward Kettering University has a proven model of success with a 100-year track record. As many begin to question the value of a college education, institutions like Kettering University clearly demonstrate that the value is there, but only if the goals are clear. By keeping the focus on developing students with actual skills and meaningful experience, Kettering University provides a clear model for how it can be done. Whether other institutions can shift to a true student orientation remains to be seen.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MEDC awards Kettering University $1.6 million to support programs bolstering Michigan manufacturing
Michigan Economic Development Corp. | Susan J. Demas Kettering University in Flint has received more than million dollars in economic development funds aimed at supporting programs in semiconductor manufacturing, hydrogen fuels, software engineering and engagement with pre-K through grade 12 students, according to a Thursday announcement. As part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Higher Education Strategic Initiatives the university was granted $1.6 million in an effort to bolster the state's advanced manufacturing efforts. Kettering also received funding to provide $5,000 and scholarships to students completing Co-ops in Michigan with select employers, alongside $10,000 incentives for students who commit to a full-time position, staying in Michigan for at least one year after graduation. 'Kettering University's experiential educational model has always been focused on developing leaders that will shape the future,' said University President Robert K. McMahan. 'This funding accelerates our ability to prepare Michigan's workforce while enhancing our capacity to equip it with the critical skills and hands-on experiences necessary to thrive in industries that will define the economy of the state for decades.' The $1.6 million will be divided among the following programs: $320,882 for semiconductor curriculum development $354,202 for hydrogen fuels curriculum focused on the future of hydrogen fuel technologies $287,432 for software engineering curriculum to develop new classes and acquire specialized equipment to prepare students for careers in software engineering and advanced systems development $53,324 for Pre-K through 12 engagement, with the university launching summer hackathon camps to provide students with hands-on learning experience in engineering and advanced manufacturing. The grants to Kettering are part of the nearly $30 million the Michigan Economic Development Corporation has invested into higher education institutions that are working with employers to prepare students for in-demand, mobility-related careers. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
