Skills training and career resources for Black, Latinx, and Native American communities

Digital transformation has become a priority for many organizations as the race to the cloud has accelerated over the past two years. As we look at the changing workforce caused by the pandemic, reskilling and upskilling have become more important than ever to our customers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partners, and company. IT professionals with the necessary skills are in high demand but in short supply. In fact, Global Knowledge found that 76% of IT decision makers report an IT skills gap, which is a 145% increase since 2016. Also, the World Economic Forum predicted that more than half of the workforce will require significant reskilling or upskilling to do their jobs this year.

At AWS, we believe in the power of skills training to create a positive, long-term impact for our employees, customers, Partners, and communities. We’re collaborating with higher education institutions, non-profits, workforce development organizations, governments, and employers to accelerate the availability of modern curricula, credentials mapped to relevant technical skills, and hands-on and independent learning opportunities that create pathways to cloud computing jobs.

We’re on a mission to build equitable skills training programs that increase diversity in the tech industry in both public and private sectors. Meaningful engagements with underrepresented technologists are critical to increasing representation.

That’s why AWS is excited to sponsor Tech Up BLNA (Black, Latinx, and Native American), which will take place virtually from Thursday, March 3, to Friday, March 4. Over two days, the event will support professionals from Black, Latinx, and Native American communities to advance, innovate, and cultivate an inclusive future through technology. The event combines a virtual conference, a recruitment fair, and skills training.

Technical and non-technical attendees can learn and explore new tech trends, advance their careers through networking, and get training from AWS experts to pursue an AWS Certification. Attendees will also have access to skills training that introduces AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials for individuals who want to develop a fundamental understanding of the AWS Cloud and a career fair featuring AWS recruiters to help Tech Up BLNA participants find new job opportunities. The Tech Up BLNA virtual conference will feature remarks by tenured AWS employees from tech, business, and the public sector, who will share their career paths and insights. Session topics will explore cloud 101, data and analytics, cybersecurity, our dedication to a diverse workforce, and more.

Commitment to upskilling individuals from all backgrounds

Amazon will continue to help prepare current and future workers for the advancing digital economy to meet the demands of the industry. In 2019, Amazon committed to investing $700 million to train 100,000 Amazon employees in the US for high-demand jobs, and we’re working toward a goal of helping 29 million people globally grow their technical skills with no-cost cloud computing training by 2025.

Learn more about Tech Up BLNA and register for the event.