Absa Group upskills to fast-track cloud and generative AI Innovation

Absa’s digital transformation is well underway, but sustaining momentum requires more than technology. To keep pace with innovation, the company needed employees with up-to-date cloud and generative AI skills, as well as practical experience. “Digital transformation is more than the adoption of new technologies, but fundamentally about how people use them,” says Olof Neser, head of cloud adoption at Absa Group.

Absa introduced training for both technical and non-technical staff to align with its technology strategy anchored around three pillars: data as a driver, cloud as an enabler, and AI as a differentiator. It required a program that went beyond checkbox training to gamified and role-based learning journeys, internal capability building, and real-world practice. “Digital transformation does not fail because of technology, but rather the people element. Your employees need to truly understand the technology through not just theory but also hands-on experience,” comments Neser.

Absa partnered with AWS Training and Certification to design a structured pathway for cloud and generative AI skills. The first step was the AWS GenAI Incubator bootcamp designed to build practical expertise in generative AI at scale. Before the 12-week program began, Absa and the AWS Enterprise Skills Transformation team set clear learning goals and aligned participants to the right AWS Skill Builder pathways. The program blended short modules with practical assignments and used gamification to sustain momentum. Teams earned points, climbed a leaderboard, and devised innovation ideas using generative AI and large language models (LLMs).

During the AWS GenAI Incubator bootcamp, 160 employees completed 605 generative AI courses in AWS Skill Builder—totalling 7,930 learning hours—and boosted course completion rates by 162 percent. Judges reviewed 28 innovation ideas, shortlisting 13 for further development. “The AWS GenAI Incubator went beyond enabling generative AI certification on AWS; it also shaped mindsets, empowering us to unlock greater value from the cloud,” says Monique Botha, lead solution analyst at Absa Group.

Encouraged by the results of the first boot camp, Absa launched a second, called the Cloud Incubator bootcamp, to give staff practical experience in application migrations, DevOps, AI, and ML. Over 12 weeks, 215 employees completed 1,885 AWS Skill Builder courses—a 79 percent increase over the GenAI Incubator. The bootcamp concluded with a three-day Experience-Based Acceleration (EBA) immersion in cloud best practices. Through gamification, participants gained hands-on practice in application migrations and AI/ML use cases.

The EBA served as natural extension of the bootcamp, delivering cost efficiency, faster modernization, and accelerated project delivery. Neser says, “The GenAI and Cloud Incubator bootcamps, along with the Experience-Based Acceleration program, empower employees by alleviating concerns about cloud adoption, equipping them with the necessary skills and confidence to migrate and modernize applications.”

Employees are advancing faster on tailored learning pathways, while gamification makes training engaging and competitive, helping raise AWS skill levels across the business. “The bootcamps are a seamless fit for our strategy to accelerate cloud and generative AI adoption, inspiring our employees to achieve success,” states Neser.

By building internal cloud expertise, Absa is reducing reliance on external partners, lowering costs, and retaining intellectual capital. During the 12-week AWS Cloud Incubator, participants gained the skills to migrate two legacy applications to AWS. “AWS Skills Guild Incubator programs have created a controlled environment that ensures people progress along a clear certification and capability path that supports our development goals,” comments Botha.

The training initiatives also help strengthen Absa’s ability to attract and retain top IT talent in a competitive market. Large-scale upskilling in AWS generative AI services enhances Absa’s appeal as an employer, while gamification keeps staff motivated to learn and grow. Participants are becoming cloud advocates—pursuing certifications, leading peer communities, and supporting colleagues’ upskilling. This cultural shift aligns with Absa’s technology strategy to be the “home of Africa’s top talent”. “Training isn’t just a tick box exercise; employees are eager to advance and take on new responsibilities—that’s a real accomplishment,” says Neser.