AWS Introduces the Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 06/13/23

A consortium of companies, government agencies, and educational institutions have joined forces with Amazon Web Services in the new Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance. The effort aims to align university and college curricula with entry-level career skills in software engineering, cloud support, and data integration.

AWS plans to give 380,000 students access to these training programs.

Five regions have been initially selected to focus the Tech Alliance's efforts: the states of Illinois, New York, and Washington; and two countries, Spain and Egypt. But the Alliance expects to expand to other areas soon, according to Amazon.

The Tech Alliance is basing its training development and implementation on the needs of employers, who will be "talent shapers" that collaborate with educators and learners to build tech skills. Collaborators designed and approved skills maps and participated in creating curricula, including "capstone projects," internships, apprenticeships, and hiring events for participating colleges and universities, according to the company. Learners will have hands-on training and support in real-world experiences.

A recent Gallup study noted that 72% of U.S. businesses are having trouble finding job applicants with qualified digital skills. Eighty-seven percent of U.S. employers use the cloud, and another 8% are planning to, the study found.

"As technology continues to advance, employers have a role to play in supporting education, as leaders ensure learners are developing the latest skills," said Kim Majerus, vice president of global education, U.S. state and local government at AWS. "I'm excited about the positive impact the Tech Alliance will bring, allowing learners to connect directly to future employers, enabling more skill-based learning environments, and increasing access to expert resources for educators."

Visit this page to learn more about this initiative.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

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