Context and Challenge
Digitalization and Information Technology (IT) enterprises drive economic growth and employment, but the workforce’s technology skills lag behind technological advancements. 60% of businesses report that local skills gaps hinder their digital transformation[1]. The AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance is a global coalition that addresses the technology skills gap by collaborating across employers, government agencies, workforce development organizations, and education leaders. Tech Alliances aim to modernize education, enhance employability, and enrich curriculums with industry insights.
Launched in June 2023, AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliances are currently active in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, and the United States. Within the U.S., Tech Alliances are in five states: Illinois, New York, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia. Since launch, Tech Alliances have connected 57,000+ learners to 650+ employers and integrated industry expertise into 1,050 education providers’ programs.
Tech Alliances help enable educators to embed cloud and emerging technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), training into existing curriculum, and Tech Alliances offer students the opportunity to participate in applied learning activities. As learners move through this technology and AI-enhanced curriculum, they engage with employers to explore career opportunities. Employers are AWS customers and partners with a need for entry level tech talent. Employers evaluate technical skills of learners through applied learning activities (such as AWS Jams, AWS GameDay, and others); job fairs; and employability workshops. Applied learning activities enable learners to expand their learning beyond the classroom, learning analytical and problem-solving skills with the context of industry problems.
Spain Tech Alliance: Overall Approach
Launched in June 2023, the Spain Tech Alliance is a comprehensive skilling program developed by AWS in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Education, regional governments, educational institutions, and employers to prepare Spanish learners for the future of work. AWS works with customers to identify skills gaps, then collaborates with regional governments and local educational institutions to address these needs. This strategic approach aligns academic programs with industry demands, enhancing student employability and fostering development of a technically skilled workforce. Through this process, the Spain Tech Alliance is comprised of 55 employers, over 660 educational institutions, and 5 regional governments (Andalusia, Aragon, Basque Country, Murcia, and Valencia). The Tech Alliance collaborates with regional governments through support letters and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). The Spain Tech Alliance focuses on vocational training institutions and universities, with most learners between 18 and 25 years old. Tech Alliances leverage AWS Academy courses, learner labs, and the learning platform AWS Skill Builder to support learners in developing skills in cloud and emerging technologies. In 2023 alone, over 35,000 learners gained access to AWS content and curriculum, with 6,200+ learners participating in applied learning activities.
The Spain Tech Alliance employs a collaborative funding model with co-investment from AWS customers and partners. AWS invests in Tech Alliances in multiple ways. First, AWS invests cloud credits in providing content at no cost to learners through programs like AWS Academy and AWS Educate, ensuring access to high-quality learning materials. Credits provide access to AWS usage. Second, AWS offers applied learning activities enabled by technical resources, and cloud credits, to extend learning opportunities beyond the classroom, allowing learners to gain hands-on experience with cloud. Applied learning activities (such as AWS Jams, AWS GameDay, and others) can run into several days, or even weeks, providing opportunities for hundreds of students to engage. Third, regional governments offer additional educator enablement that further supports educators as they bring new content into the classroom. Regional governments have dedicated budget for professional development, which they allocate towards the most effective enablement programs for educators. AWS employs a train-the-trainer model to help educators adopt the new curriculum. Further, AWS makes in-country investments to further support the program's growth, and adoption of digital technology, in Spain.
In Spain, the Tech Alliance has had strong collaboration with regional governments. For example, in Andalusia, AWS partnered with the Regional Ministry of Education and Sports to introduce AWS-aligned curriculum in vocational schools. By 2023, this program reached 6,000 learners across 105 schools in the region, with 700 educators receiving cloud training. In 2024, Valencia joined the Tech Alliance, aiming to enhance vocational training by providing AWS cloud technology access to over 300 centers, 4,000 teachers, and 100,000 learners across various industries, meeting high labor demand. For vocational training, there is one single curriculum for the program. The vocational training curriculum is managed centrally by the government, and this makes the government’s engagement central to the Tech Alliance.
Critical Lessons Learned
Tech Alliances address skills gaps through three key strategies: building holistic networks of educators, industry partners, and government agencies; focusing on employability through cost-free content provision and hands-on applied learning activities; and investing in-kind contributions from all organizations involved. The AWS Tech Alliance team has learned that building relationships with educational institutions and government authorities is crucial. By earning their trust, the team can support work that shapes curricula to better align with employment opportunities. Shaping the curriculum is one part of the equation though, and ensuring proper preparation and adoption by faculty members promotes effective delivery of the curriculum. These approaches, exemplified by initiatives like the Spain Tech Alliance, offer a blueprint for global implementation, accelerating tech sector skills development worldwide.
