Launched in 2023, AWS’ Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance enlisted educational institutions, government agencies and businesses to work together on tailoring college curricula and upskilling programs to the needs of in-demand tech jobs. According to a news release last week, Texas State University, Houston Community College, Dallas College and Kilgore College have now committed to the alliance.
Valerie Singer, general manager of global education at AWS, said these schools will have access AWS Academy, an online bank of cloud-computing curricula, to prepare students for certifications in technology fields such as data analytics, security and machine learning. They can also use online learning programs Udacity and Coursera to offer more detailed courses on, say, generative AI or a specific coding language.
The Skills to Jobs Program will also bring practical learning opportunities such as internships and hackathons to the schools, as well as help with resumes and training on soft skills like interview practice.
In addition to the educational partners, companies like the talent acquisition firm Brooksource and JPMorganChase are among several large employers ready to connect students with tech jobs. On the government side, they will work with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and the Texas Economic Development Corporation.
In 2022, TWC told Industry Insider that equipping a skilled workforce to fill in-demand jobs was one of the commission’s top three goals for fiscal years 2023 to 2027.
“Texas will grow its civilian labor force from 14.4 million in 2022 to 15.2 million in 2028. This changing labor market and robust economic growth require TWC to support employers’ needs and find innovative methods to provide training and work-based learning opportunities in burgeoning occupations, including health care and technology,” TWC’s strategic plan says.
Texas is not alone in its need to fill a workforce gap: A survey by the research company Cybersecurity Ventures estimated the global cybersecurity workforce shortage at 3.5 million people in 2023, including 750,000 in the United States. Texas is the fifth U.S. state to partner with AWS to meet this need.
AWS launched the Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance in June 2023 with three state partners: New York, Illinois and Washington. Earlier this year, West Virginia joined with an emphasis on teaching in rural areas. The alliance is also running in Egypt, Spain, Singapore, Italy, Germany, India, Colombia and Brazil, according to AWS’ recent news release. Globally, AWS estimates the initiative has connected more than 23,000 learners from over 900 higher education institutions with more than 350 employers.
Singer said New York has served as the model for other U.S. states. Typically the alliance starts in a few key areas with many educational and employment partners, then expands across the state as new partners reach out to join. In New York, this center was New York City, and in Texas it will be Dallas and Houston.
Singer added that the alliance takes care to partner not only with traditional four-year colleges, but also with community colleges and vocational schools to include a broad swath of people, especially those who may not have access to this specialized education otherwise.
She said the program has placed 1,200 students in jobs in New York City since 2023, and AWS will expand it to several more states within the next fiscal year.
“We believe strongly that employers need to continue to innovate,” she said. “And they’re not going to innovate on the cloud or anywhere unless they’ve got the right digital skills in their portfolio.”
