Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched its first African Skills Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, to remove barriers to cloud skill training.
The AWS Skills Centres are specialised, on-site cloud learning facilities designed by Amazon for people interested in cloud computing who want to discover potential career paths within the industry, and learn how to develop the skills required.
Earlier this year, the big tech company announced that it would invest $1.8 billion in South Africa by 2029, and this appears to be part of that investment.
This is the third AWS Skills Centre—first in Africa—the company has opened globally. Its other two centres are in Arlington, Virginia, and Seattle, Washington, both in the United States. The new cloud computing training facility is part of Amazon’s commitment to helping 29 million people worldwide improve their tech skills for free by 2025.
According to the World Economic Forum’sThe Future of Jobs Report 2023, most organisations identify skills gaps and an inability to attract talent as the primary barriers to industry transformation. By 2027, 60% of workers will need training, but only half can currently access sufficient training opportunities.
Consequently, AWS said the new facility in Cape Town will increase community transformation efforts and workforce-development initiatives. One of the main goals is to level the playing field by offering free education programmes to nontechnical workers, which will assist in meeting the increasing demand for qualified cloud talent.
