AWS Public Sector Blog
Texas statewide collaboration with AWS Educate announced by Secretary of State Ruth Hughs to provide education-to-workforce opportunities
AWS Educate, Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughs, Senator Royce West, educational leaders, and workforce development groups announced a new cloud degree initiative to help prepare students for cloud computing job opportunities. The collaborative initiative will scale to create pathways to in-demand, technology careers for students across the state of Texas.
Event speakers (left to right): Julian Alvarez, Texas Workforce Commissioner of Labor; John Hayek, Chief Academic and Health Officer; Texas State University; Joyce Williams, Associate Vice Chancellor, Workforce and Community Initiatives, DCCD; Adam Thorton, Digital Transformation Lead, Lockheed Martin; Raymund Paredes, Commissioner, Texas Higher Ed Coordinating Board; Royce West, Senator, Texas; Ruth Hughs, Texas Secretary of State; Joe May, Chancellor, DCCCD; Michael Love, Assistant Superintendent of Career Readiness, Houston ISD; Ken Eisner, Director, Global Education Programs for AWS and head of AWS Educate.
As part of the collaboration, academic institutions will leverage AWS Educate, Amazon’s global initiative to support cloud computing learning with students or faculty, to build computer and data-related skills for K12 curriculum as well as associate’s or bachelor’s degree programs. The group will also work with employers throughout Texas who have a growing need for tech workers with cloud computing skills.
“AWS Educate will further expand resources and opportunities for Texas students to remain at the forefront of the technological revolution,” said Secretary Hughs. “By working collaboratively, educational leaders, workforce development groups, and AWS have developed an innovative new degree program that will address the growing needs of tech employers in the Lone Star State. I thank Amazon and our partners across the state for their work in making this program a reality, and I look forward to keeping Texas a leader in tech and innovation.”
“From K12 to community colleges through four-year institutions and on into the workforce, training today’s students in cloud computing skills allows them to tap into the tremendous opportunities in technology careers,” said Ken Eisner, Director of Worldwide Education Programs for AWS and head of AWS Educate. “We appreciate the collaborative efforts of stakeholders to leverage this opportunity across the state, from urban to rural areas and into underserved communities.”
Additional U.S. statewide collaborations between AWS Educate and educational institutions were recently announced in Virginia and Louisiana, as well as a regional collaboration in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, and international efforts in Bahrain and the U.K.
The following institutions are participating in this initiative in Texas:
K12
- Dallas Independent School District
- Irving Independent School District
- Houston Independent School District
Community Colleges
- Alamo Colleges
- Alvin Community College
- Austin Community College
- Central Texas College
- Collin College
- Dallas County Community College District
- Del Mar College
- El Paso Community College
- Grayson College
- Hill College
- Houston Community College
- Kilgore College
- Lamar Institute of Technology
- Lone Star College
- McLennan Community College
- North Central Texas College
- South Texas College
- Tarrant County College
- Texas State Technical College
- Vernon College
- Victoria College
- Wharton Conty Junior College
Universities
- Jarvis Christian College
- Prairie View
- St. Philip’s College
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