As part of Amazon’s efforts to continue supporting the future workforce, the company says they are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to provide free cloud computing skills training to people from all walks of life and all levels of knowledge. Amazon will provide training opportunities through existing AWS-designed programs, as well as develop new courses to meet a wide variety of schedules and learning goals. The training ranges from self-paced online courses—designed to help individuals update their technical skills—to intensive upskilling programs that can lead to new jobs in the technology industry.
Amazon’s career training initiatives:
- Building out our library of more than 500 free courses, interactive labs, and virtual day-long training sessions. Individuals looking to learn about cloud technology at their own pace have two robust resources in AWS Training and Certification and AWS Educate. Designed for individuals looking for foundational cloud computing skills, all the way to seasoned IT professionals looking to stay up to date on the latest technologies, these programs offer over more than 500 free, on-demand online courses, interactive labs, and virtual day-long training sessions as well as job-based learning paths and numerous free instructor-led webinars, in multiple languages.
- Continuing to invest in free training to help individuals earn AWS Certification. We will continue to invest in free digital training and exam preparation courses to help people prepare for AWS Certifications, which show technical expertise working with AWS.
- Piloting new training programs. We’re piloting training initiatives, like the two-day AWS Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing Certificate program. Fiber optic cables are the backbone of the modern world, carrying internet, TV, and telephone data—they’re made up of tiny glass tubes, which makes repairing and testing them specialized work. Students accepted into this free program learn how to install and repair fiber optics and can also take part in a career networking session, allowing participants to meet local employers.
Employee Case Study
Among the employees who have benefited from Amazon training is Caleb Jarrett. Mr. Jarrett joined the program following his career in the U.S. Air Force. With little prior IT knowledge, he quickly learned AWS cloud fundamentals, earned his AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification, and gained technical experience through immersive on-the-job training at Amazon. Jarrett completed the 18-month program earlier this year and is now employed full-time on the AWS sales team. Here is what he said about his experience: “Participating in this program was life-changing. It helped me get to where I wanted to be professionally and personally in a short amount of time. Coming out of the military, I was motivated to make a meaningful change for my future and Amazon met that motivation with opportunity.”
Our Take
While Amazon’s training programs may be ‘self-serving’, the programs will also benefit many workers who will never be employed by Amazon. More importantly, these training initiatives further validate companies like Pluralsight, Udemy and others who have helped revolutionize the entire digital learning industry.
