Amazon’s Cloud Tech Training Expands in UK and Ireland

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is expanding its cloud computing skills development and job training programme ‘AWS re/Start’, across the UK and Ireland.

New cohorts were launched in Belfast and Cardiff with more to be launched in Birmingham, Blackpool, Dublin, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. AWS re/Start is aimed at unemployed and underemployed populations for entry-level careers in the cloud tech sector, with no cost to the learner. The course is full-time, over a course of 12 weeks and is a skill-based training programme that covers “fundamental and transferable AWS Cloud skills, alongside practical career skills.”

This allows for people to enter the cloud sector at an entry level, allowing access to roles like cloud operations, site reliability, infrastructure support and technical-adjacent business support functions. Once the programme has been completed, graduates are then put into contact with potential employers.

Candidates can come from all walks of life, young people, ex-military and people who lost their jobs or were made redundant from non-tech careers are some examples. The programme is flexible to suit the learner in that it can be applied to people upskilling or people who have no experience in tech at all. It also applies to employers who are looking to hire this supply of educated cloud technology trained employees, especially if affected by the pandemic.

The Global leader for AWS re/start Tejas Vashi describes it as a “change your life programme” and that “We work with populations who are unemployed, or underemployed, reskilling them and connecting them to real job opportunities. Our aim is to reach different groups who wouldn’t otherwise have a pathway to technology careers.”

AWS re/Start has a number of examples of successful graduates and how the programme helped them. One example is Nazar Razak, who left school in London at 16, he took part in the programme and now in his mid-20s he is a Cloud Structural Engineer for The Financial Times. Another example shows the flexibility of the programme as an aid to employers for hiring.

Christopher Livermore, Head of Operations at Centrica Hive, said “The training received by AWS re/Start graduates saved me considerable time as a manager. They came into the job with the background knowledge and fundamental understanding required to take challenges specific to Hive and run with them.”

Amazon working with others

AWS re/Start is also operating in conjunction with different organisations across the UK, such as TechTalent Academy. This boost skills regionally in Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds and Bristol and TechTalent are also working with Innovation City Belfast to deliver AWS re/Start in Belfast.

There are several other examples, there is Primed Talent in Blackpool and the North East, working to reinvigorate the talent supply chain to give access to employers. There is DevOps Group in Cardiff, focusing on unemployed and underemployed individuals, IN4.0 in Manchester, which focuses on tech careers in manufacturing and engineering, etc.

AWS is focusing on this industry as especially with the struggles COVID-19 has introduced, cloud computing and its related technology/expertise have become invaluable. AWS mentioned a report by the economic consultancy Public First that said companies operating on the cloud are three times more likely to grow more than five per cent a year.

They also noted on LinkedIn that cloud computing has been in the top three most sought after skills for employers over the last three years.

AWS re/start is available in 13 countries like Ireland, UK, Australia, Canada, Spain etc, it is applicable to potential employees and employers. Many people have lost jobs or livelihoods due to COVID, so consider a change in career or upskilling, to learn more check out this link. For employers, click this link.