Tag: workforce development

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

Georgia has been at the forefront of a booming technology sector. Forbes named Atlanta one of the 5 U.S. Cities Poised to Become Tomorrow’s Tech Mecca, a city where the number of tech jobs have grown 46 percent since 2010. This new initiative put forward by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE), the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), and Amazon Web Services (AWS) will help support the growth trajectory of Georgia’s technology sector, address both the opportunities and challenges presented by the pandemic, and ensure that training, curriculum, and jobsearch support opportunities are available to rural communities.

The NGA is working with Research Improving People’s Lives (RIPL), a Rhode Island-based nonprofit organization that works with governments to help them use data, science, and technology to improve policy and lives. Using machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and Amazon Web Services (AWS), RIPL unlocks previously-siloed government administrative data and puts it to work for jobseekers by delivering career-path and reskilling recommendations, as well as personalized potential employment opportunities that help state leaders make measurable progress against unemployment.

AWS and Howard University announced an initiative to upskill its students and build pathways to technical careers with cloud computing courses and training resources for educators. Learn more about how the collaboration will prepare students for the workforce with hands-on experiences, how Howard University is launching a master’s program with the support of AWS experts, and more.

Children become aware of traditional careers at a young age. But the careers in modern science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) that are likely to be among the most in-demand when the children enter the workforce aren’t traditionally introduced to younger students. Many cloud occupations are absent in the aspirational pathways commonly discussed in STEAM education. Aspiring tech students are not aware of the full breadth of cloud jobs that exist, and are often pushed a narrow view limited to coding, video game production, and software development. To address these gaps, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Flight Works Alabama (an Airbus Americas 501c3) created the program We Build It Better.

The future of tech is diverse, and AWS Training and Certification is building an inclusive and diverse workforce for the future through accessible cloud education programs for anyone with the desire to learn. We believe when you remove barriers to education, you bring new learners to the cloud and open doors to jobs and long-term careers that people may have thought were out of reach or, in some cases, didn’t even know existed. Public sector organizations are vying for top cloud skilled professionals and have much to gain when we increase the pool of available cloud talent.

At AWS, we place a high priority on innovation. And innovation is best served by a diverse team, which is why we support organizations like Girls in Tech, a global nonprofit of more than 70,000 members, that advocates for diversity, equality, and inclusion in the technology industry. A report from NCWIT found that women earned 57% of all bachelor’s degrees in 2019, yet only 21% of computer and information sciences bachelor’s degrees. And while women hold 57% of all professional occupations in the US workforce, they hold only 26% of all computing occupations. And, the numbers of women in STEM drop down to the low single digits when you look at BIPOC women. It is clear—the time for change is now.

I’ve always valued education, because it shapes our world and defines our future. At AWS, we work with K12 schools, higher education institutions, education technology, and learning companies to support both teaching and learning. The institutions and their dedicated instructors collaborate daily and deliver education to the current and future workforce. These students will help AWS, our customers and partners, and industries and governments across the globe continue to innovate. Alongside the education institutions, we are committed to providing access to cloud computing and technical skills to everyone, no matter their knowledge level. Learn how AWS is helping individuals on their cloud career journey for reskilling and upskilling, and how other companies can follow. 

When I travel around the world, I try to spend time with women leaders in different organizations, industries, and walks of life. In the time we have together, I try to learn about their hopes and dreams. In those conversations, I hear both a desire to think big about the future and a struggle to balance the commitments and responsibilities that fall almost exclusively to women. The numbers are clear: the percentage of the women participating in the global labor force is declining. I recently wrote about steps we can take to recover from the last year. Today, I want to share three stories that make me hopeful that we can collectively achieve gender parity. 

People around the world rely on continuing education and upskilling courses to build on their existing knowledge and learn new, industry-specific skills sets. In Singapore, Community Centres (CCs) and Resident Committees (RCs) offer a variety of upskilling courses for residents. CCs and RCs are part of the network of the People’s Association (PA), a Singaporean statutory board with a mission to build and bridge communities. To improve CCs’ and RCs’ time-intensive, manual process of course administration, PA and Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), launched a cloud-based web portal in November 2019.