Waikato Institute of Technology joins AWS Academy

The programme helps students develop technical skills to position them well for the future IT workforce Aaron Steele, Wintec

Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) has now joined AWS Academy, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) programme designed to prepare students to become part of the growing cloud IT workforce.

“To enter the sought-after world of cloud computing, IT professionals need the right skill sets,” says Aaron Steele, director, Centre for Information Technology at Wintec.

“The AWS Academy programme helps students develop technical skills to position them well for the future IT workforce.”

Cloud computing has been described as one of the biggest culture shifts in IT, requiring a change in mindset and trained IT professionals who understand what it means to be “cloud native”.

Wintec IT students can now enrol in a foundational AWS Academy course that will prepare them for careers in the rapidly growing cloud computing space and help them pursue industry-recognised AWS certifications. The first intake starts in February 2020.

The AWS Academy curriculum is developed and maintained by AWS subject matter experts, ensuring it is up to date and reflects current services and best practises. Courses are taught by AWS Academy accredited and trained educators.

Steele adds that some of the most in-demand roles that require cloud–related skills include software engineer, software architect, cloud engineer, data engineer and Java developer.

AWS

One of the ways we are helping to address the IT skills shortage is by working with higher education institutions such as Wintec to prepare the next generation for in-demand cloud roles Tim Dacombe-Bird, AWS

“In New Zealand, technology is our third largest export sector generating $7.9 billion in offshore revenue and yet the workforce is made up of only 120,000 employees,” says Tim Dacombe-Bird, New Zealand country manager, Amazon Web Services.

“One of the ways we are helping to address the IT skills shortage in New Zealand is through the AWS Academy programme by working with higher education institutions such as Wintec to prepare the next generation for in-demand cloud roles.”

The AWS Academy courses will be delivered at Wintec in a flexible format with a combination of self-paced online videos followed by class presentations, exercises and hands-on practical learning.

Modules are available online so that students may access them on their own device.

Sign up for CIO newsletters for regular updates on CIO news, career tips, views and events. Follow CIO New Zealand on Twitter:@cio_nz

Send news tips and comments to divina_paredes@idg.co.nz @divinap