Ivy Tech Community College has partnered with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide Cloud computing courses and certifications to people across the state. The cooperative aims to train and certify at least 5,000 Indiana residents in the next two years for computing jobs available in their local communities.
AWS will provide educational institutions up to community colleges with free professional development and technical training for educators this summer so that they are prepared to teach Cloud computing classes this Fall. They will also provide the institutions with curriculum that is tailored to prepare students to go directly into the workforce. Simultaneously, the Department of Workforce Development will support career training for adults where needed—either reskill or upskill for a career path in Cloud-based systems.
Ivy Tech offered its first Cloud specific class in 2019. But as the demand for Cloud skills grew more significant over the past few years, Ivy Tech turned to AWS to help expand its “Cloudy curriculum.” Lead by vice president of the school of IT at Ivy Tech, Linda Calvin, a team at the community college and at AWS developed an educational that meets the needs of faculty and staff, while preparing students for the future.
“We have provided training to get certified in Cloud practitioner and solution architect,” said Calvin. “And we are going to dedicate a whole day in September to this and hopefully get faculty on board with DevOps, which goes hand-and-hand with Cloud.”
In the Fall of 2021, Calvin expects AWS introduction to Cloud enrollment throughout the state to be around 100 students and she’s hoping for that number to rise to 500 by Spring. In addition, part of her marketing goal is to get in front of high schools as well so that certification can begin early for students who want to graduate with credits before entering higher education.
Sue Ellspermann, President, Ivy Tech Community College, said in a press release that Ivy Tech is in a unique position to connect individuals to these high-paying, Cloud computing jobs, as it is the largest, public post-secondary institution in Indiana.
“As the state’s community college, our focus is on bringing the education needed to earn credentials that result in high-paying careers right into the communities we serve. This is a perfect example of how being agile and partnering with our industry experts brings access to training that results in high-paying careers via the community college,” Ellspermann said.
According to LinkedIn, Cloud computing has remained one of the most in-demand skills over the past five years, and two AWS Certifications are on Global Knowledge’s 2020 top 10 highest paying certifications list. In addition, according to data from Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), more than 39,000 job postings in Indiana in 2020 requested Cloud computing skills, 10% of which were specifically requesting AWS skills.
Ivy Tech is also working with employers across the state to connect their need for talent to the educational system. For example, the school talks regularly with large businesses including the state of Indiana and IU Health, about the need to rapidly train adults for Cloud computing systems.
“While typically Fortune 500s tend to skew toward the idea that employees need a four-year degree, big tech says ‘no, actually, you need Cloud skills to compete,’” Calvin said.
In addition, Calvin believes that with the jump in need for Cloud skills, sped up by the pandemic, these growing tech schools can be key to helping U.S. citizens get back to work and onto a path to financial freedom.
“I strongly believe that tech is the answer to poverty and under representation because tech will do nothing but grow,” Calvin said. “You don’t get to be a Cloud Jedi. You just have to have the desire to enter the tech space and lean in. It’s not always easy but all you have to do is want it and you can do this. The curriculum is designed to take the novice all the way through the process.”