Amazon Upskilling
2025 Report
DECEMBER 2020
PROVIDING SKILLS TRAINING AND
UPSKILLING PROGRAMS TO HELP
ADULT LEARNERS AND EMPLOYEES
ADVANCE IN THEIR CAREERS
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Contents
03 Expanding our commitments
04 Upskilling the American workforce
for a post-pandemic economy
05 Workforce programs for the public
15 Programs for Amazon employees
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Beth Galetti
Senior Vice President
of Human Resources
29 million people trained for
free by 2025 worldwide
Programs available in 200+
countries and territories
In 2019, we committed
$700 million to train
100,000 employees by 2025
Expanding our commitments
O
ver the past year, the shape of the global workforce has dramatically changed. The
pandemic has upended entire industries, and everything from how work gets done to
where it gets done has been turned on its head. These profound changes will require
many workers around the world to reimagine their careers or further hone their technical
skills to stay current with fast-changing technology shifts. As part of our eorts to continue
supporting communities around the world, we’re expanding our commitment to technical skills
beyond our own employees – we are pledging to provide free skills training to 29 million people
globally by 2025.
To get to 29 million, we will expand existing AWS-designed programs and pilot new programs to meet
emerging training needs. These programs emphasize cloud computing training programs, and the reason for
this is simple: the need for people with the right skills to take on cloud computing and other technical roles
continues to grow. That need has become more apparent this year as schools, businesses, and governments
have relied on the cloud to keep their organizations running.
This external goal builds on our previously announced pledge to upskill our own employees. In July 2019 we
launched Upskilling 2025, our pledge to invest $700 million to provide skills training to 100,000 Amazon
employees in the U.S. by 2025 so they could access in-demand jobs. Amazon now employs more than 800,000
people in the U.S. – there is no other company that has created as many jobs as Amazon over the last decade.
We know that as a leading U.S. employer we have an important role to play in providing employees with access
to the education and training they need to grow and re-invent their careers.
In this report you’ll nd an overview of these free training programs and a progress update on our Upskilling
2025 pledge to support our employees. We’ve also captured stories of people who have benetted from
these programs.
Whether you’re considering a new career or just looking to learn something new, I hope you’ll be inspired
to take action.
—Beth
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1 in 3 American workers has the potential to access higher income occupations that are
forecasted to grow in the future, if provided with access to training for new skills.
Technical skills are twice as likely to be associated with high-income occupations
compared to other skills.
The biggest barriers for people remain lack of access to transportation and childcare as
well as constrained schedules—all of which are statistically correlated. They often overlap,
creating a trifecta of daily life diculties for workers.
66% of workers feel broadly supported by their employer. Yet only half of those agreed
that their employer provides additional training/skilling opportunities, and even fewer—
one in four—reported that their employer sponsors educational or outside training
opportunities they want to pursue.
Upskilling the American workforce for a post-pandemic economy
A new study of U.S. workers from Accenture shows the impact that skills training can have
to unlock new and higher-income careers.
Workforce programs
for the public
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Quick guide to our
program oerings
Free AWS-designed training programs
We’re in the middle of a massive shift to the cloud. According to Gartner, worldwide cloud
industry spending is expected to grow from $257 billion in 2020 to $364 billion in 2022. This
represents a 41% global spending increase in just two years.*
As the cloud industry continues to grow, so will the demand for IT talent, presenting signicant
opportunity for entry-level and experienced IT talent alike.
We are committed to helping individuals around the world advance in this industry, which will
become a steady source of new jobs over the next decade.
The pages ahead oer a look at some of the free cloud computing training programs we oer that
are available to individuals outside of Amazon.
AWS Training
and Certication
AWS Educate
AWS re/Start
AWS Fiber Optic Fusion
Splicing Certicate Program
Machine Learning University
Accelerator Series
Gartner Press Release, Gartner Forecasts Worldwide Public Cloud Revenue to Grow 6.3% in 2020, July 2020. https://www.gartner.com/
en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-07-23-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-revenue-to-grow-6point3-percent-in-2020
Self-paced content
Job placement
support
Courses to facilitate
quick job transition
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Building a path for women's leadership
through AWS certication
AWS and Slalom Consulting are working
together to increase AWS Certication,
especially among women in non-technical
roles. The 12-week program combines self-
paced learning with digital training courses,
hands-on labs, virtual instructor-led sessions
for interactive learning, and supplemental
learning materials. The goal is to prepare
participants to achieve the AWS Certied
Cloud Practitioner and/or AWS Certied
Solutions Architect – Associate certications,
achieving certication of almost 900 women
in 2020. AWS has also recently launched an
internal version of this program designed
to increase AWS cloud skills for women
at Amazon.
AWS Training
and Certication
Check this out if you:
Are looking for self-paced online courses
ArelookingtoearnanAWSCertication
Are looking for live, virtual classroom instruction
Designed for individuals looking for foundational cloud computing skills, all the way to seasoned
IT professionals looking to stay up to date on the latest technologies, these programs oer more
than 500 free, on-demand online courses, interactive labs, and virtual day-long training sessions, as
well as job-based learning paths and numerous free instructor-led webinars, in multiple languages.
Through AWS Training and Certication, individuals can also access free digital training and exam
preparation courses to prepare for AWS Certications. AWS Certications enable learners to
validate their AWS cloud computing expertise with an industry-recognized credential.
AWS Training and Certication is continuously expanding its content, helping to keep pace with
the innovation of new AWS services. In 2020, we added 50 new free digital courses and launched
new initiatives including a Twitch livestreamed series called “AWS Power Hour.” There are three
new Twitch Power Hour series covering machine learning, AWS Certied Cloud Practitioner exam
preparation, and a Q&A series to help individuals get their questions answered by an AWS expert.
Used in 200+ countries, territories Industry-recognized AWS
Certication exams oered in 12
role- and solution-specic areas
50 new courses launched
so far in 2020
500+ free online courses
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Robert Clarady
“As I prepared for my transition from the
military, I started researching what learning
opportunities were out there. I found a link
to AWS Educate on a transitioning site, and it
seemed like the best way to explore the cloud
… As I explore more AWS Educate pathways,
I continue to expand my knowledge and skill
set around cloud computing. The experience
opened my eyes to a world of possibilities
that cloud could do to transform the way the
government and military do business. After
I nish my military service, I plan to pursue
a cloud-based career. I am condent that
AWS Educate will help me transition from
the military to the job market. My military
training, coupled with the knowledge and
skills I gained through AWS Educate, makes
me more marketable to employers.”
AWS Educate
Check this out if you:
Are a student, educator, or U.S. military veteran or spouse
Are looking for self-paced online cloud computing courses
AWS Educate creates pathways to in-demand cloud jobs, from software development and cloud
architecture to machine learning and cybersecurity. The program oers self-paced learning content with 12
Cloud Career Pathways featuring between 30 and 50 hours of self-paced content per learning pathway.
AWS Educate is a no-cost program used in more than 200 countries and territories, connecting 3,500
institutions, tens of thousands of educators, and hundreds of thousands of students. The program also
continues to roll out new ways to reach learners by supporting programs like Northern Virginia Community
College’s JumpStart program, which oers tuition-free college courses to eligible high school graduates.
The AWS Educate Job Board allows students to search for and apply to thousands of cloud jobs and
internship opportunities from Amazon and other companies around the world.
Used in 200+ countries, territories
Content available in 11 languages
5,000+ cloud jobs and internships
available on the AWS Job Board
200+ 5,000+
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Rowenda Sabajo
Rowenda, enrolled in the AWS re/Start
Amsterdam cohort last year. After 15 years
overseeing ground handling services at
Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport, she was ready
for a career change and wanted to transition
into a job in IT. Through the full-time AWS
re/Start program, she completed three
months of intensive cloud training including
scenario-based learning, hands-on labs,
and coursework, and is now an IT Specialist
at Randstad Group in the Netherlands.
Reecting on the program, she said: “Joining
AWS re/Start is one of the most exciting
things I’ve ever done. Learning about all of
the advanced technologies and services that
AWS oers was very engaging.”
AWS re/Start
AWS re/Start oers a free, full-time, 12-week skills development program that prepares individuals
with little or no technology experience to pursue entry-level cloud computing positions and industry
recognized AWS Certication. AWS re/Start, which is taught by an AWS Accredited Instructor,
also provides learners with resume and interview coaching to prepare for employer meetings and
interviews. The program connects over 90% of graduates with interview opportunities.
The program focuses on unemployed or underemployed individuals, including military veterans and
their families and young people. AWS re/Start works with local collaborating organizations that share
our mission of building a diverse global pipeline of entry-level trained talent. The program has grown
signicantly in 2020, including launching in eight new countries this year: Australia, Belgium, Canada,
Ghana, Ireland, Nigeria, Spain, and South Africa. AWS re/Start now operates in 25 cities across 12
countries – and we expect to double the number of cities in 2021 as we continue to grow.
Check this out if you:
Are looking for a rigorous, full-time training program
to accelerate your transition into a tech job
Launched in 8 new
countries in 2020
Active in 25 cities
across 12 countries
2
X
90
%
8
Connects over 90% of graduates
with interview opportunities
Aims to double the number of
global cities it operates in by the
end of 2021
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Mark Glazener
Mark was working as a production leader at
a small manufacturing company when he
made the decision to make a major career
change. He had developed an interest in the
ber optics industry and, after researching
opportunities that would allow him the
career growth trajectory he was seeking, he
enrolled in AWS Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing
Certicate program. “The program really
opened the door for me to have this exciting
new opportunity and career path,” he said.
“The training gives you access to a growing
industry and there are not a lot of other
courses out there that oer this level of
access to employers.”
AWS Fiber Optic Fusion
Splicing Certicate Program
The AWS Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing Certicate program is a two-day training course on ber optic
installation and repair hosted in collaboration with Sumitomo Electric Lightwave. Fusion splicing
is the joining of two optical bers to create a continuous light path, carrying data to technologies
including phones, internet, and television. These skills are increasingly needed to build out the
world’s data and communication networks like 5G as well as data centers. Through lectures and
hands-on lessons, students accepted into the program learn real-world deployment techniques
using a variety of hand tools to state-of-the-art automated fusion splicing technology. The
program also includes a career networking event to connect students and potential employers. This
program is oered at no charge for students.
Building on the program’s early success, AWS intends to expand this program internationally and
to additional educational institutions and military bases. In early 2021, the program will also
launch a new introduction to ber optics through an e-learning class that will serve as a primer for
individuals entering the eld.
New ber optics e-learning
class coming online in early 2021
Expanding
internationally
in 2021
Check this out if you:
Are looking to accelerate your
transition into a tech job
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Machine Learning University
Accelerator Series
The recently launched Machine Learning University Accelerator Series provides anybody, anywhere
access to the same machine learning courses used to train Amazon’s own developers on machine
learning. This accelerated, free course series is designed to give people the opportunity to jump
right into learning and applying machine learning concepts to solve business problems. Through
sequential YouTube videos taught by Amazon scientists with hands-on practical examples, Jupyter
notebooks, and slide decks, MLU Accelerator Series provides a comprehensive self-service pathway
to understanding the foundations of machine learning.
Check this out if you:
Are looking for self-paced
courses on machine learning
36 video lectures
posted to date
Newly launched in 2020
3 learning tracks
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Supporting underserved and
underrepresented communities
Here are just a few of the ways we’re working to foster diversity in tech:
AWS Girls’ Tech Day
AWS Girls’ Tech Day is designed to inspire and empower girls
and young women to pursue their interests and careers in
technology. This program oers a series of workshops focused
on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math education
for thousands of girls around the world. In 2019, AWS Girls Tech
days were hosted across the U.S., Sweden, Ireland, South Africa,
and Australia. In 2020, the program expanded into a fully virtual
experience for girls around the world.
AWS GetIT
AWS GetIT is an initiative designed by AWS to encourage girls aged 12-13 to
consider a career in tech. Running between the fall and spring terms of the
school year, AWS GetIT invites teams from dierent schools to an app-building
competition to solve real issues faced by their school or community. Since AWS
GetIT’s launch in 2018, the program has captured imaginations and grown rapidly:
by the end of 2020, AWS estimates that over 23,000 students from 136 schools
will have taken part.
AWS InCommunities Scholarship Program
AWS is proud to support community-based college scholarships aimed at
supporting students from underrepresented communities who intend to pursue
a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) eld of study. This
renewable scholarship program, which doubled the number of recipients receiving
awards in 2020, is intended to support students for all four years.
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Additional community
education eorts
Future Engineer
Amazon is committed to bringing more resources to children
and young adults to help them build their best future through
its philanthropic Amazon in the Community initiatives. Amazon’s
primary computer science education program, Amazon Future
Engineer, is a four-part childhood-to-career program intended
to inspire, educate, and prepare children and young adults from
underrepresented and underserved communities to try and
pursue computer science.
Each year, Amazon Future Engineer aims to inspire hundreds
of thousands of young people to explore computer science.
Specically, the program provides more than 550,000 K-12
students in more than 5,000 schools in underserved communities
across the U.S. with computer science courses and curriculum;
each year awards 100 students with $40,000 college scholarships
to study computer science and guaranteed, paid Amazon
internships; awards 10 teachers “Teacher of the Year” awards; and
forms unique partnerships with trusted institutions like Georgia
Tech’s EarSketch, Carnegie Mellon University, and Code.org to
bring creative, project based learning experiences to reach more
students. Amazon Future Engineer is part of Amazon’s $50 million
investment to increase access to computer science and STEM
education across the country.
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Beyond our commitment
The programs highlighted in this report are just some of the
ways we’re helping to democratize access to education and skills
training. Here are just some of the other ways we’re helping to
make technical training accessible:
Providing higher education institutions with a free, ready-
to-teach cloud computing curriculum. AWS Academy provides
higher education institutions around the world with a free,
ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum that prepares
students to pursue AWS Certication and in-demand cloud
computing jobs. Part of the AWS Training and Certication
oerings, these courses are designed to t into existing course
structures and include lectures, hand-on labs, knowledge
checks, and projects for in-depth learning experiences. To date,
more than 1,500 AWS Academy Accredited Educators at higher
education institutions have delivered AWS Academy courses to
over 86,000 students worldwide.
Helping government employees accelerate their cloud
knowledge. The AWS DigiGov is a two-day program designed
for public servants to learn about cloud computing concepts,
its value proposition, review use cases, and understand the
dierent services available through the AWS cloud. AWS DigiGov
combines foundational cloud content; relevant customer success
stories; and sessions tailored to the audience. This program is a
step toward preparing for the AWS Certied Cloud Practitioner
exam. The virtual version of the program is now reaching
participants from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Peru. The program
is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. AWS
oers this training for free, and the hosting institution may
charge a nominal fee to cover any additional delivery costs.
Accelerating cloud innovation in healthcare. AWS newly
piloted AWS DigiHealth in Canada this year. This is an
educational program designed for healthcare professionals in
IT, digital health, and healthcare delivery to learn about cloud
computing concepts. The four-day program teaches participants
about the value of the cloud, shares examples of how the cloud
can be applied in healthcare, and reviews applicable available
services through AWS. The curriculum is designed to provide
a look into how cloud computing technology can help play an
important role in the future of healthcare. We are expanding
AWS DigiHealth in 2021 to additional countries across Asia and
Latin America. AWS oers this training for free, and the hosting
institution may charge a nominal fee to cover any additional
delivery costs.
Building bridges with government institutions. Through
the Amazon BRIDGE (Broadening Research and Innovation for
Defense and Government Employees) Program, Amazon hosts
employees from the U.S. Department of Defense and other
government organizations for a one-year fellowship. Fellows are
placed on teams throughout the company, including AWS, Alexa
Smart Home, Amazon Air, Prime Air, Supply Chain Optimization
Technology, Machine Learning, Human Resources, Amazon Go,
Talent Development, Public Relations, Amazon Games, and
many other organizations.
Programs for
Amazon employees
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Supporting employees' career growth
In July 2019, Amazon committed $700 million to provide 100,000 employees,
roughly a third of our U.S. workforce at the time, with access to upskilling
programs through 2025. These training programs—including Amazon Technical
Academy, Associate2Tech, Machine Learning University, Career Choice,
Amazon Apprenticeship, and AWS Training and Certication – support
Amazon employees as they gain critical skills to move into higher skill, better-
paying, technical and non-technical roles, either within Amazon or elsewhere.
Through this pledge, Amazon is focused on creating pathways to careers in areas
that will continue growing in years to come, like medicine, cloud computing, and
machine learning. Since making this commitment in 2019, Amazon has scaled and
expanded these six employee programs across the U.S., with 15,000 participants
over the rst 12 months.
Amazon Technical
Academy
Associate2Tech
Career Choice
Machine Learning
University
Amazon Apprenticeship
AWS Training
and Certication
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Patricia Soto
Patricia Soto rst learned of Career Choice
when she was hired by Amazon as a
fulllment center employee. As she looked
into all of the benets that came with her
job, the opportunity to study healthcare
immediately appealed to her.
Once she enrolled in Career Choice, Patricia
was able to receive schedule exibility so she
could attend school in the morning and still
work a shortened shift at night. During the
nine-month program, she learned proper
medical terminology, processes related to
running a medical oce, and hands-on
procedures like charting before participating
in a clinical externship where she became
procient in the technology, systems, and
procedures that medical personnel use daily.
Today, Patricia works for the Sutter Gould
Medical Foundation—the organization
where she completed her externship—as a
certied medical assistant. As a result of
her experience with Career Choice, Patricia
continues to feel motivated in her new
career. “I was able to establish a solid
foundation of skills I can continue to build on
and go even further in my career.”
Career Choice
Career Choice is an innovative Amazon program uniquely designed to upskill our employees who
are interested in pursuing a future outside of Amazon. By delivering training in high-demand career
paths, we are proud to give eligible employees the tools they need to make a move and pursue
their career aspirations beyond Amazon. The Amazon Career Choice Program will pay up to 95% of
tuition and associated fees for courses at accredited schools that lead to vocational certications or
Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in the following eligible elds of study:
• Administration and Business Services
• Information Technology
• Healthcare
• Mechanical and Skilled Trades
• Transportation
Career Choice targets roles in these elds that pay at least 10% more than Amazon’s $15/hour
minimum wage in local communities and oer upward career growth. Eligible courses include
paths to 20 dierent jobs in the U.S., including Computer Support Specialist, Web Developer,
Aircraft Mechanic, Nurse, Paralegal/Legal Assistant, Commercial Truck Driver, and Network
Technician, among others.
In 2020, associates
in all 50 states can
take Career Choice.
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Christine Fanuel
Christine Fanuel rst joined Amazon as an
IT Coordinator and learned about Amazon’s
Career Choice program as part of her
onboarding. “I had aspirations to move up
in my career and so I saw the program as a
springboard to advance in IT,” said Christine.
For the rst six months of the Career Choice
IT track program, Christine continued to work
while attending classes to learn about new
applications and tools that IT professionals
work with every day. The next six months of
the program were devoted to networking and
helping her gure out where she wanted to
pursue a career.
Christine found an opportunity as a
Production/Technical Support III specialist
outside of Amazon, helping clients solve IT
problems remotely.
She credits Career Choice with helping her
advance her career and remain motivated to
learn new things.
“I’ve learned that a career in IT demands that
you educate yourself continuously because
there are new tools or programs being added
all the time.”
Career Choice fast facts
Over 30,000 participants in the U.S. since
the program started
$65+ million invested in tuition since
the program started
Amazon is currently partnering with over
100+ educational partners in the U.S.
There will be 60 classrooms built into
fulllment centers by end of 2020
58% of participants are from
underrepresented minority groups
In the U.S., Career Choice is oered in
all 50 states and 238 counties
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Jacob Peterson
Jacob Peterson joined Amazon as a
fulllment center entry-level employee.
After asking IT members for advice on
how to move into an IT role, he enrolled
in the Associate2Tech program. “It’s really
dicult to get experience in technical
customer support without actually having
a job in that role. Associate2Tech helped
me break through,” said Jacob. Currently
interim IT Manager in Kent, Washington.
Jacob credits Associate2Tech for teaching
him the technical and soft skills needed for
meaningful customer interaction.
Andre Grass
Having dropped out of high school to help
support his family, packer Andre Grass
completed his Associate2Tech training and
certications in three months and became an
IT support engineer. “Since graduating from the
program, I’ve had the opportunity to launch
new sites and work on projects that improved
overall customer experience, and have been
promoted to the next level within IT.”
Associate2Tech
Associate2Tech is a program that provides fulllment center employees the opportunity to
move into technical roles within Amazon’s vast operations network, regardless of their previous
IT experience. This 90-day program is designed to place associates in on-the-job training for IT
support technician roles and pays for their CompTIA A+ Certication test, a widely recognized
certication in this eld.
No existing degree is needed, and participants enjoy paid study time during their work week,
while being paid their regular salary.
38
%
80
%
80% of participants have
transitioned to IT roles within
Amazon’s OpsTech organization,
and 15% of participants have
been promoted and now hold
engineer positions
38% of entry-level technician hires
were previously fulllment
center employees
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Jenna Wasserman
Jenna Wasserman was a member of the
Customer Prole team when software
engineering piqued her interest. Through ATA
she learned the core elements of coding, from
the Java language to dierent AWS services
and build systems. Jenna is now a software
engineer using machine learning technology
to create new ways for Amazon customers
to shop more visually. She has newfound
condence and often leans on the mentors and
colleagues she met through ATA.
Ivan Mwiruki
Ivan Mwiruki advanced from Quality Assurance
Engineer to Software Development Engineer,
working on AWS Quantum Ledger Database,
in only one year through ATA. “Instead of
cobbling together my own curriculum and
slowly transitioning towards my goal over
multiple years, I could learn from a curriculum
created by Amazon engineers for future
Amazon engineers and work through that
curriculum with the support of instructors,
mentors, and fellow participants.”
Amazon Technical Academy
Amazon Technical Academy (ATA) is a training and job placement program that equips non-
technical Amazon employees with the essential skills needed to transition into and thrive in
technical careers at Amazon. Combining instructor-led, project-based learning with real-world
application, graduates master the most widely used software engineering skills and tools, including
AWS cloud computing technology.
The tuition-free program was created by Amazon software engineers with deep expertise in what is
required to succeed in a long-term software engineering career for Amazon employees. During the
nine months of full time instruction, participants are provided a stipend to cover living expenses
and a subsidy to maintain their benets plans. At the conclusion of the instruction, ATA graduates
are placed on Amazon software development teams to demonstrate their skills through a three-
month internship before transitioning into a full time entry level role as a software engineer.
95
%
ATA has successfully placed
95% of its graduates in software
development engineering roles
$
12M
Over $12M invested in
training costs in 2020
93
%
Graduates’ total compensation
increased 93% on average
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Machine Learning University
Machine Learning University (MLU) is an initiative that helps Amazon employees with a background
in technology and coding gain skills in this discipline. As machine learning plays an increasingly
important role in customer innovation, MLU helps employees learn core skills to propel their career
growth—skills that are often learned only in higher education.
Divided into six-week modules, the program requires only a half to one full day of classes a week.
This program removes a number of barriers for employees to continue to gain technical skills,
including providing graduate-level courses at no cost; allowing employees to stay in the workforce
even as they learn the latest advancements in their eld; and oering employees with protected
time to study during the work week. There is no requirement for participants to stay at Amazon for
a certain time after completing this program.
MLU courses are currently available to any technical employee at Amazon in the world.
66
+
MLU oered classes to
employees in over 66 locations
worldwide in 2019
300
More than 300 scientists have
helped MLU develop, review, and
deliver courses since inception
MLU is now available in every state with the
greatest number of participants from Seattle,
Washington; Herndon, Virginia; San Francisco,
California; Irvine, California; Austin, Texas; and
Boston, Massachusetts.
Soji Adeshina
While pursuing electrical engineering and
computer science at the University of
California, Berkeley, Soji Adeshina became
interested in machine learning. After
graduation, he joined Amazon as a software
engineer for Amazon Robotics, then applied
to a pilot MLU program. “MLU gave me the
condence to pursue a long-term career path
in applied science and modeling,” said Soji, who
now works on deep learning for the ML Services
team at AWS. “The skills I’ve learned have
allowed me to earn trust from senior leaders
and the ability to tackle large projects.”
Nick Erickson
Nick Erickson’s participation in MLU came through
the Machine Learning Accelerator program (MLA).
As a software development engineer, he took
part in the three-day educational program that
concludes with a competition—which he won. He
was subsequently invited to author and lead the
development of AutoGluon, an open source toolkit
that is now a required learning for MLU students.
He also oversees a team of six and coordinates
MLU competitions for fellow Amazonians.
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Caleb Jarrett
Caleb Jarrett learned about the Amazon
Apprenticeship Program through a military
recruiter as he prepared to leave the U.S.
Air Force. Having a desire to work in IT but
little IT experience, Caleb was able to receive
a Cloud Practitioner certication following
a 90-day in-classroom sprint. He was then
assigned, along with his cohort, to support
AWS, where he collectively worked to solve
problems and innovate new solutions through
a full year of on-the-job training. Today, Caleb
serves as Lead Development Representative
on the Public Sector Sales team.
Mario Perry
After a career in the U.S. Army, Mario Perry
enrolled in the Apprenticeship Program.
Following a year of on-the-job training, he
was swiftly oered a position on the National
Security team as a Cloud Consultant. Mario
has since been promoted to Associate Cloud
Consultant, where he helps customers in
the public sector migrate and optimize their
applications and workloads to AWS.
Amazon Apprenticeship
Amazon Apprenticeship is a Department of Labor–certied program that oers a combination of
paid immersive learning and on-the-job training with Amazon. Amazon’s Apprenticeship program
has already created paths to technical jobs for hundreds of candidates working to break into careers,
including cloud support associate, data center technician, and software development engineer.
A full list of these roles include:
• Associate Cloud Consultant Apprentice
• Data Center Technician Apprentice
• Solutions Architect Apprentice
• Software Development Engineer Apprentice
• Technical Sales Apprentice
• Support Engineer Apprentice
• Technical Account Manager Apprentice
• Cloud Support Associate
700
+
700+ apprentices since start
of program
90
%
More than a 90% completion
rate for all apprentices in
instructor-led training
23 AMAZON UPSKILLING 2025 REPORT
Kira Gobes
After completing her undergraduate degree
in computer science at Lehigh University, Kira
Gobes enrolled in Amazon’s Tech U program
to become a Solutions Architect. “Every day in
Tech U was dierent,” said Kira. “We focused
on a number of dierent subject areas and
learned the real-life applications of these
technologies." As part of her Tech U capstone
presentation, Kira and two of her coworkers
created an interactive adventure game to
teach kids about coding, cloud, and IoT.
Tech U gave Kira the skills to become an AWS
Solutions Architect, a role she would hold
for a year before stepping into her current
role as a Technical Program Manager. Kira
now runs a program where she is passing on
her cloud technology expertise to the next
generation of talent. “I’ve always wanted to
make a positive impact using technology.
Tech U enabled me to pursue my passions by
opening so many new doors and exposing me
to new opportunities.”
Kira gained a lasting network of Solutions
Architects through Tech U. “We all came from
dierent backgrounds and ultimately pursed
dierent types of technical work, but they’re
still my core group of friends and colleagues.”
AWS Training and Certication
AWS Training and Certication equips learners and organizations across the globe—including
Amazon employees—with cloud computing education to build and validate in-demand cloud
computing skills.
Through AWS Training and Certication, Amazon oers AWS Tech U, an accelerated career
development program for recent graduates hired into technical roles to advance their skills
and help customers design exible and resilient cloud-based solutions. The residency program
includes a six-month academic curriculum followed by three to six months of on-the-job training.
Participants learn from top AWS subject matter experts and get paid while they train for a
career working with AWS’s customers. AWS Tech U graduates are prepared to serve as solutions
architects, technical trainers, and professional services consultant roles within AWS.
635
By the end of 2020, Tech U will
have instructed 635 residents
with locations in 7 countries
498
AWS Tech U intends to train
an additional 498 residents
in 2021
