Microsoft AI Intensive Bootcamp

29 January – 9 February 2024

WithYouWithMe and Microsoft are teaming up to sponsor 60 Australian women through a cutting-edge AI intensive bootcamp to help propel them into high demand tech careers.

In partnership with Microsoft, WithYouWithMe are offering 60 women the extraordinary opportunity to develop leading-edge skills in emerging AI technology and gain valuable certifications for free.

The AI intensive bootcamp program, running from 29 January to 9 February, 2024 is designed to prepare you to take the AI-102 Microsoft Azure AI Engineer or AI-900 Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals exam. You can choose which exam you would like to complete depending on your level of confidence at the end of the bootcamp. Bootcamp participants will also be provided with additional learning pathways and practice assessments so they can attempt any exams across Cloud, Data, Security, Power Platform, M365 or Dynamics.

The total training time commitment will be around 40 hours and modules are delivered online with the flexibility to watch sessions back at a later time.

Priority will be given to women who have already completed WithYouWithMe’s New to IT and/or Data pathways.

What’s included?

Exam voucher

Bootcamp participants are eligible for a Microsoft Certifications Exam valued at up to USD $165 upon completion of learning.

Industry experts

Interact in live demos with industry experts from Microsoft, LinkedIn, Akkodis and more.

Career development

Get advice from industry experts on what it takes to land a career in emerging tech.

Latest in Microsoft AI

Learn the latest in OpenAI, Generative AI, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing and more.

Tech Community

Gain immediate entry into the Microsoft Bootcamp Talent Community to interact with experts and peers.

What to expect

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Learn

Time needed for self-paced learning prior to demo ~2 hours

Overview of developing AI solutions on Azure
Azure Cognitive Services
Bonus: Python for beginners (if you don't have coding experience)

Sessions

9:00am - 10:00am AEDT: Welcome Session (Option 1) with Narelle Stefanac (Microsoft)
1:00pm - 2:00pm AEDT: Welcome Session (Option 2) with Narelle Stefanac (Microsoft)
3:30pm - 4:00pm AEDT: Microsoft Cognitive Services Demo with Akanksha Malik (Women Who Code)

Learn

Time needed for self-paced learning prior to demo ~3 hours

Processing and translating text
Creating a Language Understanding solution
Building a question answering solution

Sessions

3:00pm - 3:30pm AEDT: Natural Language Processing Demo with Haritha Thilakarathne (Arinco)

Learn

Time needed for self-paced learning prior to demo ~3 hours

Building custom text analytics solutions
Creating conversational AI solutions
Extracting text from images and documents

Sessions

3:00pm - 3:30pm AEDT: Conversational AI Demo with Joseph Stephens (Microsoft)
3:45pm - 4:15pm AEDT: Student Drop-In Call with Vicki Dam (Akkodis)

Learn

Time needed for self-paced learning prior to demo ~2 hours

Creating computer vision solutions with Azure AI Vision

Sessions

1:30pm - 2:00pm AEDT: Computer Vision demo with Jia Keatnuxsuo (Microsoft)

Learn

Time needed for self-paced learning prior to demo ~3 hours

Developing Generative AI solutions with OpenAI Service

Sessions

1:30pm - 2:30pm AEDT: Prompt Engineering Demo with Jia Keatnuxsuo (Microsoft)

Learn

Time needed for self-paced learning prior to demo ~3.5 hours

Implementing knowledge mining with Azure Cognitive Search
Bonus: Exam Cram for AI-102 Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate

Sessions

2:00pm - 2:30pm AEDT: Knowledge Mining Demo with Joseph Stephens (Microsoft)

Practice

Time needed for practice ~1 hour

AI-102 Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate Practice Assessment

Sessions

11:30am - 12:00pm AEDT: How to schedule your exam with Narelle Stefanac (Microsoft)
12:00pm - 1:30pm AEDT: AI-102 Exam Practice Live Q&A with Michelle Sandford (Microsoft)
3:00pm - 3:30pm AEDT: CoPilot Demo with Michelle Sandford (Microsoft)

Learn

Time needed for self-paced learning ~1.5 hours

Bonus: New AI learning content to be released and made available to participants of the bootcamp. More details to come in November.

Sessions

1:30pm - 3:00pm AEDT: Careers in Tech Panel with Narelle Stefanac (Microsoft), Nidhi Wadhwa (Microsoft), Nick Westbrook (Microsoft), Desiree Hutcheon (Datacom), Josh Morely (Akkodis), and Arafat Tehsin (EY)

Certify

Exam Day (Option 1)

Sessions

11:30am - 1:00pm AEDT: Rock your LinkedIn Profile with Hannah Sabri and James Nutt (LinkedIn)
2:00pm - 3:30pm AEDT: Applying for jobs with Gemma Marshall (Akkodis), Dan Tonkovic and Narelle Stefanac (Microsoft)

Certify

Exam Day (Option 2)

Sessions

11:30am - 1:00pm AEDT: Career Coaching with Narelle Stefanac and Microsoft Mentors (Microsoft)
2:00pm - 3:00pm AEDT: Celebration and Networking with Narelle Stefanac (Microsoft)

Meet the speakers

Global experts

Akanksha Malik

Microsoft AI MVP & Director (Women Who Code)

Arafat Tehsin

Microsoft AI MVP & Senior Manager (EY)

Dan Tonkovic

National Delivery Manager – Recruitment (Akkodis)

Desiree Hutcheon

Regional Practice Lead – Cloud Transformation (Datacom)

Elizabeth Pappalardo

Community Program Manager (Microsoft)

Gemma Marshall

Head of Tech Talent Programs (Akkodis)

Hannah Sabri

Senior Customer Success Manager (LinkedIn)

Haritha Thilakarathne

Microsoft AI MVP & Data & AI Consultant (Arinco)

James Nutt

Regional Account Director – Global Accounts (LinkedIn)

Jiaranai Keatnuxsuo

Cloud Solution Architect – Environmental Sustainability (Microsoft)

Joseph Stephen

Cloud Solution Architect – Data & AI (Microsoft)

Joshua Morley

Head of AI (Akkodis)

Michelle Sandford

Developer Engagement Lead ANZ (Microsoft)

Nick Westbrook

Senior Partner Technology Strategist (Microsoft)

Nidhi Wadhwa

Cloud Solution Architect – Data & AI (Microsoft)

MVPs and Mentors

Alex Morton

Commercial Executive (Microsoft)

Allison Kennedy

Reporting and Data Insights Analyst (North Power)

Arnav Sharma

Group Manager (Cloud & Infra Security, Avanade)

Bronwen Zande

Director (Soul Solutions)

Bruce Sithole

CEO & Founder (365 Mechanix Pty Ltd)

Cathy Xu

Cloud Solutions Architect – Data & AI (Microsoft)

Chris Gecks

Managing Consultant (CyberCX)

Hamish Sheild

Consultant / Coach / Director (AppRising)

Indira Bandari

Data Architect (dataengine)

Jayanth Dattatri

Snr Principal Engineering Technologist (Dell)

Lars Klint

Principal Consultant (Arkahna)

Luke Murray

Senior Consultant – Cloud Platforms (Datacom)

Manonmani VS

Principal – Presales Architect (Velrada)

Martin Catherall

Data Specialist (BiTQ)

Michael John Pena

Data and AI Director (Playtime Solutions)

Michael Zanatta

Support Analyst (Akkodis)

Nidhi Wadhwa

Cloud Solutions Architect – Data & AI (Microsoft)

Rahul Rai

Group Product Manager (LogicMonitor)

Roland Szirmai

Founder and Principal Consultant (Bi-Lingual Analytics)

Stephanie McDermott

Customer Success Account Manager (Microsoft)

Top Phongsakorn N.

Azure Technology Specialist (Microsoft)

Vahid Doustimajd

Data Integration and Analytics Manager (Fulton Hogan)

Warren Belz

IT Systems Developer (Self Employed)

The Bootcamp Team

Catherine Ennis

Future Ready Skills Specialist (Adecco)

Jordana Izquierdo

Program Coordinator (Akkodis)

Narelle Setfanac

Senior Program Manager – Future Skills Initiatives (Microsoft)

Vicki Dam

Program Manager (Akkodis)

Frequently asked questions

Who can take part in the bootcamp?

The bootcamp has been designed for individuals who are interested in upskilling themselves in Microsoft Azure Fundamentals and AI.

Where can I find more information about the certifications?

Please see the links to the certification exams below:
AI-900: AI Associate
AI-900: AI Fundamentals

The bootcamp platform is different to Potential – am I in the right place?

Absolutely! The bootcamp is hosted on Akkodis’ OpenLearning platform.

Do I need to attend all of the live sessions?

We recommend that you attend as many as possible to make the most out of the bootcamp, however, we understand that the timing of our scheduled live sessions might not be ideal for everyone. That’s why we record them all for you to play back on demand!

What time are all the live sessions?

You can check the live session times under the ‘What to expect’ section.

Are the live sessions recorded?

Yes, the live sessions are recorded, and the recording links are shared with you in the learning portal. The recordings can also be downloaded if needed.

Do I need a Microsoft account to sit my exam?

Yes – your certification will be tied to your personal Microsoft account. Start here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/# and click on the Sign in link on the top right corner of the page. Set up your certification profile here.

Where are the exams held?

As the bootcamp itself takes place online, the exam will be online too. You will be required to book your own exam, but we will provide instructions on how to do so. Pearson Vue, the exam provider, has a large range of exam dates and times available so you will definitely be able to find a time that suits you. Please note AM and PM as students have previously booked their exams for 12AM instead of 12PM.

Do I have to schedule and take my exam before the end of the bootcamp?

No, you don’t. We recommend you take the exam at the end of week 2 so that the knowledge is still fresh in your mind, and you can wrap up the bootcamp nicely with your Microsoft certification. This is not enforced, and you have the flexibility to schedule and take your exam after the bootcamp as long as it is completed by 31st March 2024.

Can I reschedule my exam date and time after I’ve booked it?

Yes, you can but you will need to do so at least 24 hours before your scheduled appointment without any fee. Please refer to this link for instructions: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/certifications/exam-reschedule-and-cancellation-policy.

What is the pass mark for the exam?

The passing score for all exams is 700 points out of 1000. When answering most multi-part questions, you’ll receive points for each correctly answered component. No points are deducted for incorrect answers.

How long is the exam?

For associate-level exams, the exam itself is about 120 minutes long. However, you will need to allocate an additional 30 minutes so that you have time to set yourself up, log in, review the instructions and go through the check-in process with the proctor.

How many questions are there in the exam?

The number of questions vary for each exam. You can expect between 35 - 50 questions of varying difficulty.

When will I get my results?

For most exams, you will have results within minutes of completing the exam. You’ll also get a report with your exam score and feedback on your performance. Your score report will be available in the Certifications tab of your Microsoft Learn profile within 24 hours - 48 hours.

Where can I find out more information about the exam process?

Please see link here: OnVue Exam Guide

How long will I have access to the bootcamp learning platform?

You will have access to the bootcamp portal for at least a month post-bootcamp. The live session recordings are only available for 30 days post-session so make sure you download it if you would like an offline copy.

How long is the certificate valid for?

Associate-level certifications need to be renewed annually to ensure that tech professionals keep skill up to date with evolving technology. Fundamental certifications, on the other hand, do not expire.

Who can I contact if I have any further questions?

Please feel free to reach out to WithYouWithMe’s Career Success team.

Registration for this program is now closed.

To explore more free technology training opportunities for women in tech, sign up for Potential.

Microsoft AI Intensive Bootcamp

29 January – 9 February 2024

What’s included?

What to expect

Meet the speakers

Frequently asked questions

Individuals

Organisations

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