Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled the AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance, a collaborative initiative aimed at enhancing career readiness for learners and modernizing tech-focused educational programs in 78 educational institutions. These institutions collectively serve over 380,000 students. The alliance seeks to address the skills gap in community colleges and universities, preparing students for entry-level tech careers. While initially focusing on five priority regions, including Illinois, New York, and Washington, the initiative intends to expand to additional areas.
In conjunction with this initiative, AWS has introduced the AWS Machine Learning University, which will provide a comprehensive educator-enablement bootcamp and curriculum, targeting institutions that serve historically underserved and underrepresented students. This program aims to facilitate the delivery of next-generation tech courses.
Tech Skills Gap Hinders Progress The rapidly evolving technology landscape continually creates challenges for learners interested in tech roles and employers searching for appropriately skilled talent. According to a Gallup study, 72% of U.S. businesses find it difficult to hire workers with the necessary digital skills, with 43% attributing this challenge to a shortage of qualified applicants. Furthermore, 87% of U.S. employers are already using cloud technology, and an additional 8% plan to adopt it soon. The AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance seeks to bridge these gaps by integrating industry expertise into educational programs and providing employers with access to a pipeline of job-ready talent.
Fostering Collaboration Between Industry and Education AWS, workforce development organizations, and educational institutions have collaborated to create skills maps that identify critical skills to be developed in learners. These maps guide curriculum development and ensure alignment with industry demands. Talent shapers play a pivotal role in evaluating curricula, developing capstone projects, offering internships and apprenticeships, and organizing hiring events exclusively for participating educational institutions. Learners benefit from hands-on support from industry professionals, gaining real-world experience relevant to in-demand tech jobs.
The AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance builds upon AWS’s longstanding commitment to improving skills training initiatives, aligning credentials and degree programs with industry demand. Kim Majerus, Vice President of Global Education, U.S. State and Local Government at AWS, emphasized the positive impact the alliance will have by enabling learners to connect directly with future employers, fostering skill-based learning environments, and expanding access to expert resources for educators.
Empowering Tech Careers in New York City In April 2023, AWS launched the first regional initiative of the Tech Alliance in New York City. Collaborating with various organizations and educational institutions, including the Borough of Manhattan Community College, College of Staten Island, Queensborough Community College (QCC), City University of New York (CUNY), New York Jobs CEO Council, New York City Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development, the Tech Talent Pipeline, and Fortune 500 employers as talent shapers, this initiative has already started helping learners secure jobs and plan for fall 2023 internships.
The Alliance Expands to New Regions The AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance has expanded its reach to include regions such as Illinois, Washington, Egypt, and Spain. In these regions, a diverse array of talent shapers, educational institutions, policy leaders, and organizations are joining forces to create pathways to tech careers.
Participants Include:
Illinois: City Colleges of Chicago and Illinois Institute of Technology, with support from Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Corporate Coalition of Chicago, and P33, in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Washington: Bellevue College and Seattle Colleges, with support from the Center of Excellence for Information & Computing, Computing for All, Technology Alliance, and Washington Technology Industry Association, along with talent shapers like CoreStack, T-Mobile, and TEKsystems.
Spain: More than 400 Technical Vocational Colleges from the Technical Vocational Education & Training system, spanning three regional agreements: Andalucia, Aragon, and Valencia. Employers including Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte, DXC Technology, Innotec Security, NTT Data, Screening Eagle, and Telefonica Tech (acens) are supporting the alliance.
Egypt: Government higher education universities under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, in conjunction with workforce development affiliates, National Telecommunications Institute, and Information Technology Institute. Employers such as Advanced Computer Technology (ACT), Egabi Solutions, Forte Cloud, Global Brands, HITS Solutions, IT Visionary, Phoenix Consulting, and Zero & One are acting as talent shapers in Egypt.
The engagement of employers through mentorship presentations, AWS Jams, job fairs, job placements, internships, and on-the-job training opportunities aims to provide students with valuable insights into career paths and practical experience in the cloud computing field.
