Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College collaborate with AWS to provide tech training to 5,000 residents

Today, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and Ivy Tech Community College (Ivy Tech) announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to train and certify 5,000 individuals in the next two years. The collaboration stems from the opportunity to train, certify, and prepare citizens for in-demand cloud computing jobs throughout Indiana.

The Indiana DWD has been focused on preparing citizens for the growing tech, IT, and cloud industries. Collaborating with Ivy Tech will help reach more learners and accelerate economic growth by fueling the state’s tech industry with skilled talent.

Educational programs and instructor trainings

As Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution, Ivy Tech plays a critical role in preparing the workforce in Indiana. and other public institutions across the state will have the opportunity to provide AWS certified courses, hands-on labs, and industry recognized credentials to learners in higher education, as well as secondary education in high schools.

“With the demand for cloud talent, I believe we are launching a program that can get people back to work and onto a path to financial freedom,” said Linda Calvin, vice president, school of information technology, workforce alignment at Ivy Tech. “This is a great opportunity to reach out to engage with underrepresented communities to encourage the pursuit of a great career in tech.”

In support of this initiative, AWS has committed to provide education institutions with professional development, technical training, and a select number of certification exams for educators, instructors, and faculty who will begin teaching cloud computing courses to their students starting next fall. AWS education programs provide education institutions with ready-to-teach, cloud computing curriculum that prepares students for in-demand cloud jobs and industry-recognized AWS Certifications (such as the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate). All publicly-funded high schools and higher education institutions across the state are invited to participate in AWS Academy under this statewide collaboration, allowing students, adult learners, career changers, and more the opportunity to upskill and reskill.

Cloud skills address to meet the growing tech community

Data from Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) identified 39,035 unique job postings in Indiana requesting cloud computing skills in 2020, and more than 10 percent of those jobs specifically requested AWS skills. A small number of Indiana residents currently hold an AWS Certification, creating a significant skills gap for local employers interested in hiring technical talent to fill open roles.

Local employers are equally excited about the potential of building a vibrant new pipeline of AWS cloud-skilled candidates by partnering with Ivy Tech to meet the needs of the local Indiana workforce. “As cloud adoption accelerates, the talent gap continues to grow. Ivy Tech is leading the charge to equip students and workers to meet the need,” said Chris Seitz, vice president of CleanSlate Technology Group. “The Ivy Tech vision is thoughtful and the programs are compelling, creating a clear path for employers to identify and retain emerging cloud professionals.”

Other employers are eager to see the cloud computing pipeline expand across the state, “We love to see private-public partnerships come together to create ways for Indiana to meet its tech talent needs,” said Mike Langellier, president of TechPoint. “Certifications like these will give students a huge leg up in the interview process and set them down a career path with ample opportunity for growth right here in Indiana.”

AWS is looking forward to the continued participation that this initiative provides between education and industry and support from the Indiana DWD. “We recognize the economic impact that this collaboration will have on the citizens of this state,” said Fred Payne, commissioner of the Indiana DWD. “We will continue to support this initiative that will reinforce Indiana’s efforts to build and train the workforce of the future.”

This collaborative effort with the state of Indiana works toward AWS’s commitment to skill, upskill, and reskill individuals around the world. Learn about similar initiatives in Texas, Utah, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, and India.

Learn more about AWS Training and Certification and AWS Academy.

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