Tech

AWS Launches Skills Center in Seattle, Accelerating Free Cloud Training Efforts for 29 Million People


An employee helps prepare for the initial launch of the AWS Skills Center on Thursday. (Photo GeekWire / Lisa Stiffler)

Amazon will open first on Thursday Amazon Web Services Skills Center in downtown Seattle.

The 8,000-square-foot space is a sort of adult science center with three classrooms and computer labs. The facility’s purpose is to help demystify the cloud and make jobs using technology more accessible. The site showcases potential career areas, including gaming, robotics, sports, machine learning and space smart home technology. The center and its classes are free to the public.

The center hopes to reach unemployed or underemployed people as well as people who are racially and ethnically diverse and have little or no experience in the technology sector.

“It’s really the beginning of their journey into the cloud regardless of whether they’re entering a side business role or a technology role,” said Maureen Lonergan, vice president of training and certification for AWS.

Visitors to the center can explore interactive displays, and an AWS employee rotates the site to answer questions. The facility will host in-person classes, starting with an introduction to computer technology, cloud practitioner essentials, a prep class for cloud certification. Classes are four hours long, with the exception of the cloud practitioner class, which lasts eight hours divided into two sessions. People will also be able to tune in remotely. The Skills Center will also host career-matching events with employers.

Maureen Lonergan, vice president of training and certification for AWS. (Photo GeekWire / Lisa Stiffler)

In addition to opening the center, Amazon has announced additional efforts to offer free training:

  • Extend AWS Re/Start, a 12-week in-person program that provides entry-level training for cloud computing careers. By the end of this year, re/Start will be available in 95 cities in 38 countries, up from 25 cities in 12 countries.
  • The launch of AWS Skill Builder, a suite of over 500 on-demand, online, and cloud courses. Skill Builder is available in more than 200 countries and regions and is offered in 16 languages.
  • Make it easier for US students to find online courses by adding link on Amazon.com.
  • Amazon plans to open more Skills Centers in other cities and countries, and will add additional entry-level classes to websites.

The training initiatives are part of Amazon’s December 2020 commitment to provide free cloud training to 29 million people to 2025. About 6 million people have been trained so far.

Lonergan did not provide an exact amount for these efforts, but said the Seattle-area retail and cloud tech giant has spent “hundreds of millions of dollars” on these initiatives.

The company is working with local organizations that interact with the communities they hope to reach through training. Deena Pierott, the founder of iUrban Teen educational program, is participating in a panel hosted by AWS on Thursday to announce new training opportunities.

Pierott’s multi-state program offers free STEM instruction to students without a technology major, covering areas including coding, cybersecurity, and other technology focuses. She looks forward to partnering with AWS and bringing iUrban Teens affiliated teens and young adults to new areas.

The AWS Skills Center has screens to demonstrate the use of cloud technology in robotics. (Photo GeekWire / Lisa Stiffler)

The Skills Center creates an opportunity to “build trust with these communities,” says Pierott, “and let them see clearly what the opportunity is and where the future holds.”

Pierott hopes that the AWS training will include instructors of color, helping students see themselves in roles. She also worries that the position will inconvenience some people. Lonergan said it is exploring transit options to reduce that barrier.

Other technology companies and nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest also offer free training programs. Organizations include Ada . Developer Academy, Washington Technology Industry Association Apprentice, and Year up offers free, in-depth training programs for tech occupations. Microsoft provides guidance through Urge program.

Details about the AWS Skills Center: Located at 1915 Terry Ave., Seattle, the center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The facility opened to the public on November 22.





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