AWS Tech Alliance introduced in India to bolster cloud talent pool

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is launching the Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance (Tech Alliance) in India to boost career readiness for learners entering the workforce and bridge the tech talent needs of the country’s employers. The new initiative will help align programs of study with in-demand, entry-level cloud roles in India, with the initial focus to prepare learners for roles such as cloud engineer, cloud administrator, and DevOps engineer.

“Cloud computing is a key enabler of digital transformation, and underscores the innovation charter in all kinds of organisations today,” said Valerie Singer, general manager of AWS Worldwide Public Sector Global Education. “Fulfilling the potential of cloud computing requires closer collaboration between academia and industry to build a cloud-skilled workforce, and today, we are pleased to extend the Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance into India.”

The Tech Alliance aims to bring together a coalition of employers, government agencies, workforce development organisations, and education leaders to address the skills gap in college and university curricula, and better prepare learners for entry-level tech careers. The initiative launched in June, 2023 in the United States, Egypt, and Spain, and expanded to Germany, Italy, and Singapore in November, 2023.

“Cloud technology has become ubiquitous and has the potential to create 14 million jobs in India by 2026,” said Shalini Kapoor, director and chief technologist, AWS India Private Limited. “The AWS Tech Alliance is a concerted initiative where institutions can integrate industry expertise into their study programs, while employers can get access to a pipeline of job-ready talent. It aims to help education institutions accelerate the focus on cloud education in their curriculum, and ultimately bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world applications.”

Strengthening industry-academia collaboration

Constant advancements in the technology landscape create a gap in tech skills training, including in curricula offered in colleges and universities, making it challenging for students to pursue tech roles, and for employers to find the right skilled talent.

Many higher education institutions in India are tailoring their curricula to focus on workforce development and skill enhancement aimed at facilitating job placement for students upon graduation. The Tech Alliance supports this objective, and bolsters the institutions’ endeavours to prepare students for successful entry into the job market.

Education institutions that opt to participate in the Tech Alliance can leverage AWS learning resources that will enable students to upskill themselves and be better prepared to secure entry-level cloud roles. They will benefit from focused learning content compiled for specific job roles, based on inputs from AWS Partners and customers.

By participating in the Tech Alliance, institutions will also receive guidance on curated skill maps to supplement their ongoing curriculum around workforce and skills development. They will also be invited to participate in thought leadership sessions with other alliance members, helping design additional skill maps and delivery plans, and improve the initiative for the benefit of students.

Emerging technologies impact all sectors of the economy today, generating specific workforce demands. The Government of India has issued guidelines to address tech skill gaps, providing industry an opportunity to align their skilling programs to the National Credit Framework (NCrF) and National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), which integrate the credits earned from academic learning, skilling, and experiential learnings. “In line with this approach, the AWS Tech Alliance in India, I understand, is working backwards from employers’ demands, and promotes early career learning, and continuous NSQF-aligned skill development. Its alignment with industry requirements in collaboration with the employers is creditising such skilling,” said Dr. Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, chairperson, National Council for Vocational Education and Training, the national regulator for the skilling ecosystem in India.

As organisations of various sizes in India rapidly transform into digital businesses, the demand for digitally skilled talent will remain strong. According to a study commissioned by AWS and conducted by Gallup, 21 percent of Indian organisations that run most of their business on the cloud report a doubling of annual revenue or more, compared to 9 percent of those that use the cloud for some or none of their business. Ninety-three percent of Indian employers surveyed reported they were seeking to fill openings that require digital skills, but 88 percent said it is challenging to find the talent they need.

As a part of the Tech Alliance, AWS Partners and customers will review AWS education programs and curriculum for early career cloud learners and provide feedback on alignment to skills maps. These organisations will aim to support the initiative by enhancing the students’ exposure to industry requirements and practical learning through several channels. Examples include enabling opportunities for students with capstone projects and paid internships, and participating in guest lectures, job fairs, and applied learning events such as AWS Jam and AWS DeepRacer, as well as career and employer orientation sessions conducted by AWS.

Wipro, a leading global IT consulting and system integration firm, and a Premier AWS Consulting Partner, is part of the Tech Alliance. “Wipro has always worked to improve the employability of early career digital talent, and we are happy to collaborate with AWS for the Tech Alliance in India,” said Sanjeev Jain, senior vice president and global head of business operations for Wipro. “This strategic alliance will help us further our mission to upskill students in cloud technologies to enhance their employability and readiness to solve critical problems for our community and clients.”

SoftwareOne is a leading global software and cloud solutions provider that is focused on helping organisations build, buy, and manage everything in the cloud. “We have a dedicated initiative called SoftwareOne Academy, where fresh graduates and post-graduates undergo three months of intensive training, and those who excel are transitioned into our business operations,” said Abhya Awasthi, global talent acquisition partner at SoftwareOne. “Two years ago, we collaborated with AWS to support this initiative and upskill the graduates coming into the workforce, and we are very pleased with the outcomes. We are confident that the visionary approach of the AWS Tech Alliance can strengthen the opportunity for graduates to adapt to entry-level cloud roles. The new initiative provides employers like us a strong opportunity to develop talent towards industry-relevant roles, and we look forward to playing our part.”

The AWS Tech Alliance in India currently has more than 45 education institutions, participating employers, and collaborating organisations.

Education institutions

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Bennett University, Bharti Vidyapeeth College of Engineering for Women*, Chandigarh Group of Colleges, East Point Group of Institutions, GMR Institute of Technology, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), GSSS Institute of Engineering & Technology for Women*, Inderprastha Engineering College, Institute of Technology & Management (ITM), ITM University, KIET Group of Institutions, Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET), Meerut Institute of Technology, MIET Kumaon, MIT ADT University, Pragati Engineering College, Sanjivani College of Engineering, Sree Vidyanikethan Engineering College, Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, St. Joseph’s University.

*Institutions exclusive to women students

Employers

Accenture, Aptiv, Butterfly Innovations (Digii, formerly CollPoll), Capgemini, Cloud Kinetics, Cognizant, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., DXC Technology, Genpact, IBM, Informatica, IQVIA, KPIT Technologies, Kyndryl, NTT DATA Services, Pentagon System and Services, Persistent Systems, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Quadrasystems.net, Schneider Electric, Siemens, SoftwareOne, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro.

Collaborating organisations

Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, ICT Academy of Kerala.

Learn more or contribute by visiting the AWS Tech Alliance India homepage.