AWS Educate

As part of Amazon’s corporate social responsibility, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Educate was produced to help prepare the workforce of the future. There has been an increase in demand for IT and cloud jobs; and AWS Educate prepares students, ages 14 and up, to fill these roles.

The program gives both educators and students the tools they need to gateway young individuals into cloud-related learning. AWS offers the software and courses to students, which has helped hundreds of thousands of kids, 10,000 educators and over 1,500 institutions across the globe reach their full STEM potential. Universities from Arizona State University to The National College of Ireland implement the AWS curriculum.

The AWS Educate Job Board allows students to apply to thousands of jobs and internships at major companies across the United States, including Amazon. They are able to upload their resume, enter in their specific skills and search for jobs that specifically cater to their interests and skillset.

AWS Educate member Alfredo Colon said, “When I had my first interview for cloud engineering, pretty much all the knowledge I discussed on that interview was based on what I learned from AWS Educate.”

With Amazon being a technology and business powerhouse, having them backing an educational program such as AWS Educate gives it the legitimacy it needs to help students fall into successful career paths.

During the first week of April 2019, Maricopa County’s superintendent Steve Watson teamed up with Amazon to create a STEM Resource Center in Phoenix, Arizona. This resource center will supply teachers and students in Maricopa County with free STEM materials that are given by Amazon. Along with the supplied materials, the STEM Resource Center offers training to educators on how to implement science, technology, engineering and math material in new, unique ways.

The partnership between Amazon and Maricopa County schools is not a new one. Since 2018, Amazon has supplied the Phoenix area with products to help engage students in STEM learning. The 6,000- square-foot facility has enhanced this partnership by giving educators the opportunity to increase their own knowledge while also getting the materials they need to enhance student learning.  

“I love this partnership that provides teachers with tools and resources that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” said Watson. “Through this opportunity they can then provide the best STEM learning experiences for their students.”

Amazon has already made a huge impact on the STEM education of kids throughout Maricopa County. With the addition of the new STEM Resource Center, their influence on the STEM literacy on students will continue to grow and lead them down the path to STEM jobs.