AWS for Media & Entertainment launches a free digital learning badge for Direct-to-Consumer and Broadcast Foundations

Today Amazon Web Services (AWS) launches a free AWS Learning Plan and Digital Badge for Media and Entertainment (M&E) for Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) and Broadcast Foundations. The learning plan, created by AWS for M&E solution experts, educates executives, industry professionals, and technologists about the AWS services and best practices to apply to Broadcast and Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) workflows in the cloud. By passing a digital assessment, professionals earn a digital badge verifying their competency as an AWS M&E Cloud Specialist in the Broadcast and D2C and Streaming solution areas. The training helps learners understand foundational concepts that matter most for these specialties.

The M&E industry’s rapid move to the cloud, driven by the need to produce and distribute content remotely during COVID-19, leaves companies unable to find professionals who have both M&E and cloud expertise. Experienced M&E professionals are challenged to quickly learn the cloud skills critical to their specialty area, because they must figure out which services they might use, and train on each separately (storage, compute, content delivery network, AI/ML, end user computing.) Experienced cloud professionals are also challenged to support M&E workflows without training on the language, architecture, and best practices unique to media solutions.

With the AWS M&E Broadcast and D2C Foundations Badge, professionals can demonstrate their expertise in the nomenclature, architecture, and primary workflows for these specialty areas of the M&E ecosystem. Companies can use the M&E Broadcast and D2C Foundations Badge to identify qualified employees and AWS Partners, and use the training – created by AWS M&E Cloud Specialists – to upskill their workforce.

“The idea to create an M&E focused learning badge came from our customers asking us to develop training based on their M&E workflows. This helps them focus on the best practices and services that are most relevant to their M&E needs,” said Marc Aldrich, General Manager of M&E for AWS. “By offering this training for free, at scale, we can help all M&E customers and professionals accelerate their cloud initiatives. We’re thrilled to help upskill teams and individuals to help them innovate within their organizations.”

Upskilling workers is also a key theme in the recently published Digital Production Partnership (DPP) Leaders Briefing 2022. Leaders agreed that organizations are focused on transformation, but to enable technical transformation, “the challenge is to equip organisations for continuous change.” Conrad Gouws, Technical Architect at RTE, stated in the report, “Many of our staff have been here for decades. So the first challenge is, how do we keep those skills that we value from the existing staff, but still help them to transition into this new IP software-defined world to continue doing business here?”

M&E companies and practitioners can get started with the M&E learning plan available on AWS Skill Builder, our online learning center. The M&E Broadcast and Direct-to-Consumer Foundations Badge learning plan includes:

• An introduction to the principles and best practices for designing and using cloud-based video workflows
• How to implement and configure Direct-to-Consumer and Broadcast workflows on AWS
• Explanations of monitoring and Digital Rights Management options for D2C and Broadcast workflows

Build and validate your expertise in M&E Broadcast and Direct-to-consumer workflows in the cloud by enrolling in the AWS Skill Builder Media & Entertainment Direct-to-Consumer and Broadcast Foundations learning plan, unlock your digital badge, and share your success with your network. AWS M&E Cloud Specialist badges are immediately available.

To get started, visit AWS Skill Builder. Make sure to share your accomplishment with #AWSTraining and #AWSforM&E!