TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

 How it Works

Bertelsmann’s media, services and educational offerings make it a leader in many areas of the digital world. Accordingly, the company wants to empower as many people as possible to be successful in the digital world. Over a three-year period Bertelsmann is funding as many as 50,000 tech scholarships for students to learn with Udacity.

The third round of the program, starting in October 2021, consists of a two-stage scholarship that’s similar to the first rounds of the program. The scholarship is open to any student, 18 years of age or older, interested in Azure Cloud Architecture, Business Analytics or Machine Learning. Both Bertelsmann employees and the general public are encouraged to apply for one of the three tech learning paths: Cloud, Data, or AI.

When applications close on November 30, 2021, we’ll review all entries and select 15,000 recipients to participate in the Cloud, Data, or AI Challenge Courses. This is where the learning begins! Recipients will spend 2 months learning key components for Azure Cloud Architecture, Business Analytics or Machine Learning with TensorFlow. Top students from this initial phase will earn a full Nanodegree program scholarship.

FAQ

What is the “Bertelsmann Technology Scholarship Program”?

Over a three-year period, Bertelsmann is investing several million euros in funding as many as 50,000 tech scholarships on the online education platform Udacity to strengthen people’s tech skills. Specifically, the Group is funding 15,000 tech scholarships annually for Challenge Courses in Cloud, Data and AI. In addition, the top 1,600 participants will receive a scholarship for a full Nanodegree in their selected subject area.

Who can apply?

Anyone 18 years of age and above is encouraged to apply. This includes any Bertelsmann employee or general student, who wants to expand their Cloud Architecture, Business Analytics or Marchine Learning skillset.  

Please note, there are certain prerequisites for each track. Scholarship recipients should be prepared to invest about 2-4 hours per week during the Challenge Course and about 5–10 hours per week during the Nanodegree programs.

What are the prerequisites?

Cloud Track:  Experience with Cloud Computing, Programming, and Azure.

• 2+ years experience in developing apps or managing cloud infrastructure that have been deployed using Microsoft Azure
• Familiarity with network concepts, such as IP addressing and routing
• Familiarity with network connectivity methods, such as VPN
• Familiarity with Azure CLI commands
• Ability to read JSON
• Understanding of DevOps including container orchestration, CI/CD
• Azure Application Development and Deployment knowledge

Data Track: This is an introductory program and has no prerequisites. In order to succeed, we recommend having experience using a computer and being able to download and install applications.

AI Track: To optimize your chances of success in this program, we recommend intermediate Python programming knowledge and basic knowledge of probability and statistics.

What is the program language?

English is the language for the Challenge Courses and all Udacity Nanodegree programs. Subtitles are available in English for all three tracks. The scholarship student community will be managed in English.

Where does the program take place?

The program takes place 100% online. Students can work from wherever they want to, as long as they have a working internet connection.

How does this scholarship program work?

The scholarship program is structured in two parts:

Phase 1: Challenge Courses: during the first phase of this scholarship, students work through one of the 3 initial Challenge Courses: “Azure Cloud Architect – Designing Infrastructure and Managing Migration”, “Introduction to Data” or “Intro to Machine Learning – Supervised Learning” for 2 months. Applicants should be prepared to invest about 2-4 hours per week during this period. Scholarship recipients participating in this initial phase of the program will engage with classmates in a robust, actively managed, student community. Participants will also have to complete a final assessment.

Phase 2: 1,600 Full Nanodegree programs: the top 1,600 students from the first phase will earn a follow-up scholarship to either the Azure Cloud Architect, Business Analytics, or Introduction to Machine Learning with TensorFlow Nanodegree programs. Access to these Nanodegree programs includes expert project reviews, mentorship and community support. These full Nanodegree program scholarships will be awarded in February 2022. Applicants should be prepared to invest about 5–10 hours per week for the 6 months of the program.

There are a few differences between this scholarship and previous years including the following:

• New learning content: New Challenge Courses as well as other Nanodegrees are being offered.
• Updated selection criteria: There will be an additional “final assessment” at the end of the Challenge Course, which will be used as selection criteria for the Nanodegree Phase.
• Community participation in Slack is less important and will only be used as selection criteria if it becomes necessary.
• Shorter Challenge Course phase: The Challenge Course content is the first chapter of the Nanodegree (except from the project), but according to its complexity the Challenge Course duration has been shortened to 2 months (December 14, 2021 – February 14, 2022).
• Shorter time investment needed during the Challenge Course phase: The estimated time commitment for this round will be about 2-4 hours per week.
• Faster application than round 1 and round 2: A motivation letter is not required during the application process.

NEW Bertelsmann info sessions: Get a chance to connect with the Bertelsmann team behind the scholarship and learn more about Tech & Data at Bertelsmann, community activities, events and how to get involved and show your newly acquired skills.

Can I apply to more than one track?

Applicants must choose their preferred track and can only apply once. Make sure to select the one you are most interested in but also fully qualified for.

When will the results be announced? When do classes start?

Applications open on October 5, 2021 and close on November 30, 2021.

Scholarship recipients will be announced on December 10, 2021 and start learning on December 14, 2021.

Are there specific class hours when students need to be online or can they go through the lessons and study whenever they want?

After class starts, participants can study on their own schedule as long as they complete the course in the predefined time. That is to say, they will have complete access to the course directly in their classroom 24 hours a day. We understand that students have different schedules and will work on their course at different times and on different days. What’s important is that students make constant progress each and every week and get through all the content before the end of the course.

What are the technical requirements for participating in this program?

Udacity’s full technical requirements are listed here.

What are the criteria for being selected as one of the 15,000 scholarship recipients?

Udacity will evaluate the scholarship applications with a view to selecting recipients who possess:

• Diversity of all races, genders, beliefs, and backgrounds
• Diversity of perspective and experience
• Willingness to dedicate sufficient time to scholarship
• Prerequisite knowledge for the Cloud and AI Track

What are the criteria for being one of the top 1,600 participants and hence a recipient of a full Nanodegree program?

Of the 15,000 original scholarship recipients, 1,600 will be selected for the follow-on Nanodegree program based on:

• Successful completion of lessons, videos and quizzes in the Challenge Course
• Completion of a final assessment at the end of the Challenge Course
• Participation in Community events and support of your classmates in the Slack community
• All the selection criteria used in Phase I

What are the Terms & Conditions?

The full Terms and Conditions are posted here.

Do scholarship recipients have to pay anything to participate?

No! The program is completely free to all scholarship recipients. Bertelsmann pays the costs from a central budget.

Who will manage communication with the participants and support them during the scholarship program?

Udacity will provide participants with all necessary information during the scholarship program. This will include everything from announcement emails after Udacity reviews applications, to ongoing student encouragement emails to scholarship recipients, to next step details at the end of each stage, and more. Emails will come from: scholarships-support@udacity.com or support@udacity.com.

Who can be contacted in case of questions?

For Bertelsmann-specific questions (e.g. working time, peoplenet), please contact: university@bertelsmann.com.

For general questions about the scholarship program and for user support (e.g. application process, timeline), please contact: scholarships-support@udacity.com.

For Bertelsmann employees only: Why is a peoplenet ID requested during the application process?

In the application process, applicants are identified as Bertelsmann employees by their peoplenet ID. If a peoplenet ID is provided, their participation in the scholarship program is added to the learning plan and learning history in the peoplenet employee profile. Indication is optional and voluntary, and the learning plan/learning history is basically only accessible by the employee, their manager, the local HR department, and Bertelsmann University.

If students wish to identify as a Bertelsmann employee, the (correct) peoplenet ID should be provided. The peoplenet ID can only be entered during the application phase and does not have to be re-entered later.

I have more questions!

Please submit your questions to us using this form.