AWS Training and Certification Blog

Introducing AWS SimuLearn learning plan badges: Verifiable proof of hands-on cloud skills

Cloud skills remain one of the most in-demand capabilities in the workforce, and the way people demonstrate them is changing fast. Learners increasingly want training that builds the skills employers actually hire for, and they want a credential they can show for it. Hiring managers and organizations want a trusted signal that confirms a candidate has the hands-on experience to design, build, and validate cloud solutions.

Since launch, AWS SimuLearn has met learners where they are with a different approach to cloud training: an immersive online experience that pairs generative AI-powered customer simulations with hands-on building in a live AWS environment. Learners gather requirements through realistic conversations with virtual customers, develop architecture proposals, build solutions in the AWS Management Console, and validate their work through automated DIY assessments. Across 200+ topics and 12 role-based and industry learning plans, SimuLearn helps learners develop the communication, decision-making, and technical skills needed to translate business problems into technical solutions.

Today we’re excited to announce AWS SimuLearn learning plan badges, a new way for learners to showcase the hands-on cloud skills they’ve built. When a learner completes all assignments in a SimuLearn learning plan, they earn an official AWS badge that represents the work they completed: customer conversations, architecture design, hands-on building, and validated outcomes.

A credential that represents the full SimuLearn experience

Each badge is tied directly to what you built. If you completed the assignments and your solutions passed validation, you earned it. Each badge represents the complete SimuLearn experience. You engage in simulated customer meetings powered by generative AI, where your communication, technical accuracy, and decision-making are evaluated as you uncover requirements and propose solutions. You then receive guided instruction on how to build the solution, followed by a solo DIY assessment with an automated validation step that confirms your solution works as intended.

The badge represents this end-to-end journey across an entire learning plan, not a single assignment. Earning a badge requires completing every hands-on assignment within a plan, demonstrating consistent capability across the full scope of a role or industry domain.

Twelve learning plans, twelve badges

There are 12 badges total. Two of them, Cloud Practitioner and AI Practitioner, can be earned through free learning plans. The remaining 10 require an AWS Skill Builder subscription.

Available learning plans:

How it works

Enroll in a SimuLearn learning plan on AWS Skill Builder and complete each assignment. As you progress, you engage with virtual customers, design architectures, build solutions in real AWS environments, and validate your work. When you complete the final assignment, your badge is issued automatically through Credly.

Once issued, you can share your badge on LinkedIn, social platforms, and directly with employers as a verifiable signal of your hands-on AWS expertise. Your badge is verifiable, includes details on the learning plan you completed, and joins the broader ecosystem of trusted AWS digital credentials.

Built on a proven badge model

SimuLearn Learning plan badges extend the same proven model used by AWS Cloud Quest, where learners share their accomplishments at rates well above industry benchmarks. By bringing this model to SimuLearn, we’re giving learners a verifiable credential for the rigorous, hands-on work they’re already doing.

“The AWS SimuLearn client engagement and solution builder really put me in the shoes of an AWS Solutions Architect. Communicating with ‘Dr. Newton’ and the customer to determine requirements was super realistic. Plus, the seamless navigation and quick provisioning made the learning experience smooth and enjoyable.” – Barnaby Baron, Technical Lead at DXC

“The visual approach for instruction as opposed to writing is a great move. It makes the learning process more immersive and I was motivated all along.” – Mawuli Denteh, Cloud Engineer, Scale Capacity inc.

Get started

AWS SimuLearn is part of the full suite of experiential learning within AWS Skill Builder, alongside hundreds of digital courses, AWS Builder Labs, AWS Cloud Quest, and AWS Certification preparation resources. SimuLearn Learning Plan Badges are available to all learners on AWS Skill Builder.

Start a SimuLearn learning plan today.