SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Oct. 10, 2023 – Tooling U-SME, the workforce development division of SME, has been named one of the 32 winners in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) AI Tools Competition, one of the largest education technology (edtech) competitions globally. The competition recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and adult learning.

Tooling U-SME’s winning entry, the Personalized Skills Empowerment Passport (PSEP) was developed in collaboration with SkyHive. PSEP harnesses the power of AI to create customized skills and career pathways for participants by connecting individuals to Tooling U-SME's training content, aligning their learning with evolving industry requirements and real-time labor market analytics.

The Tooling U-SME and SkyHive team was recognized in the DARPA AI Tools for Adult Learning opportunity category for innovation in utilizing artificial intelligence-powered tools to facilitate adult learning in complex subjects crucial to the national security workforce, including a robust manufacturing workforce base.

Six teams made up of entrepreneurs, industry experts, researchers, data scientists, and workforce development experts received recognition in this category for leveraging edtech and AI to improve adult learning and reskilling outcomes. The tools being developed by the winning teams in this category focus on everything from workforce training to intelligent tutoring, immersive skills training, and personalized, self-directed learning.

“The PSEP is real-time skills intelligence,” said Timothy Wilson, director, market and product development, SME. “The platform uses patented methodologies to enable analysis of the skills individuals have, the skills they need for emerging in-demand roles, the unique gap between skills supplied and demanded, and personalized learning pathways to bridge these gaps.”

The DARPA AI Tools Competition has earned recognition from esteemed entities such as Schmidt Futures, Citadel, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. PSEP was among 1,000 global submissions and went through rigorous evaluation by a distinguished panel, including representatives from DARPA, Google, Microsoft, Lumina Foundation, Accenture, and other prominent organizations.

“I’m proud of the Tooling U-SME team for their continued innovative efforts in workforce development,” said Jeannine Kunz, SME’s chief workforce development officer. “This achievement underscores SME's unwavering commitment to pioneering unconventional solutions through collaboration with like-minded organizations such as SkyHive and DARPA that bridge industry skills gaps and prepare the workforce to meet current and future challenges.”

About DARPA

For over 60 years, DARPA has held to a singular and enduring mission: to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies. Its innovations over the years include the Internet, automated voice recognition and language translation, and Global Positioning System receivers small enough to embed in myriad consumer devices. DARPA reaches for transformational change instead of incremental advances, working within an innovation ecosystem that includes academic, corporate and governmental partners. DARPA addresses challenges broadly, spanning the spectrum from deep science to systems to capabilities, but is ultimately driven by the desire to make a difference. The DARPA AI Tools for Adult Learning opportunity was supported by DARPA, and administered by Georgia State University and The Learning Agency.