Stanbic IBTC trains and certifies youth in Nigeria on Amazon Web Services

In Nigeria, 30–45% of all jobs will require digital skills by 2030, and 28 million workers will need technical training across sectors. To meet this demand, Stanbic IBTC embarked on its annual skilling initiative—the Digital Skills Empowerment Program (DiSEP)—to build technical knowledge among young Nigerians aged 18–30.

Designed to support technical career growth, DiSEP helps participants gain new skills and obtain sought-after certifications that validate skills in various in-demand technologies, including Amazon Web Services (AWS). This initiative is helping Nigerians build their digital competencies, broaden their skills, and gain a competitive edge.

Creating a better society with technology empowerment

Stanbic IBTC is a leading commercial bank present in 20 African countries and 13 countries outside Africa. It hosts many initiatives, including DiSEP, to improve the lives of young people. Through DiSEP, participants can access training and opportunities for certification, fast-tracking career growth in key markets. In technology roles, cloud skills are in high demand, and the skills gap keeps growing.

The bank chose AWS as one of DiSEP’s core technologies due to the demand for AWS skills. Additionally, AWS had recently opened its second office in Nigeria, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening technical capabilities in Africa—a vision shared by the bank.

Makintouch Consulting (Makintouch), the first AWS Training Partner in Nigeria, was selected to deliver the training. “We trained our own in-house professionals so that we can, in turn, offer professional training services and certifications to individuals here in Africa,” says Toyin Ifesanya, managing partner of Makintouch.

Building the next generation of cloud experts with DiSEP

Makintouch and Stanbic IBTC designed this iteration of DiSEP as a 3-month virtual training program where participants can develop skills in key areas like cloud computing, mobile development, and cybersecurity. This program, which ran from June to September 2022, was offered free of charge to participants. “AWS provided free exam vouchers for the students and resources for both the class session and their professional exams,” says program manager Israel Kuti. “Stanbic IBTC paid for the learners to attend and made sure they had internet access and enough data to participate in the virtual training.”

Makintouch trained over 200 participants in a range of topics, beginning with cloud fundamentals in the AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials course, which requires no prior cloud experience. Participants gained hands-on experience with AWS services through AWS Skill Builder, an online learning center where learners can partake in self-paced digital training on AWS, and AWS Cloud Quest, a role-playing game to help participants build practical AWS Cloud skills.

Successful participants had the opportunity to prepare for and complete AWS Certifications, industry-recognized credentials that validate AWS expertise. A total of 52 young people sponsored by the bank earned their AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification, which validates a foundational understanding of AWS concepts, services, and terminology. Select participants then moved toward their AWS Certified Developer – Associate exam, which showcases knowledge and understanding of core AWS services, uses, and basic AWS architecture best practices. Following the program, participants received resources to support their technical career journeys. “After passing their professional exams, we recommended participants to prospective employers for internships,” says Kuti. “We hosted several coaching sessions to prepare them for interviews and invited professionals to speak about the qualities that employers want to see.”

Improving participants’ competitiveness in the job market

By gaining valuable experience and achieving AWS Certifications, participants have increased their competitiveness. Oluwabunmi Olowoyeye, a participant in DiSEP, recently accepted a job offer as a technical support engineer. “DiSEP has boosted my confidence as a cloud engineer and equipped me with proper training to seek global career opportunities,” says Olowoyeye. “The knowledge that I gained helped me during the application and interview process for my current role. I came in as a certified professional with strong cloud knowledge.”

For cloud enthusiast Titilope Odubiro, DiSEP provided foundational hands-on experience. “DiSEP gave me an in-depth knowledge of the AWS Cloud so that I could achieve my third AWS Certification,” says Odubiro. “I am currently familiarizing myself with more AWS tools, which I believe will enhance my hands-on skills and make me stand out when opportunities arise.”

DiSEP participant Tochukwu Nwachukwu had prior experience as a software developer but no experience with cloud technologies. Nwachukwu’s new skills improved his standing in the job market. “By gaining practical experience and achieving AWS Certifications, I was able to update my résumé, making potential employers interested,” says Nwachukwu. “I received a job offer before the program was over.” In his new position, Nwachukwu immediately applied this knowledge to a real-life project. He used AWS Auto Scaling, which scales applications to optimize performance and costs, to develop a cost-efficient architecture. “I applied my knowledge of AWS services and my skills as a developer to contribute to the architecture design of the solution and save money for the customer,” says Nwachukwu.

Continuing to empower youth with cloud technologies

Through DiSEP, Stanbic IBTC has deepened the cloud talent pool and created a pipeline to feed into its internal digital talent programs. The bank has employed some participants for its cloud computing team. “We are excited to see several participants employed at the bank and other organizations that we have referred them to,” says Kuti.

Stanbic IBTC is helping to create the next generation of cloud experts in Nigeria. In the future, it looks forward to expanding DiSEP and building young people’s cloud skills while preparing them for in-demand technical jobs. The next iteration, DiSEP 3.0, will be hosted in the summer of 2023. “We’re glad that we provided our participants with the necessary exposure, training, and recommendations that they need to thrive in their respective career paths,” says Kuti. “We cannot overemphasize the role that the AWS team and Makintouch played in making this a reality.”