The process of migration of on premises infrastructure to the cloud, in a way, has just begun. The business opportunity is great (30% annual growth until 2026 for Latin America), but the stumbling block lies in the gap of qualified personnel in the IT environment in general, as highlighted by different studies, organizations and the companies themselves, and in cloud technologies in particular, as AWS considers.
The problem of resources is global, which is why AWS has the objective - worldwide - of training 29 million people in cloud technologies by 2025, and part of them will be in Latin America. According to the WEF, Latin America has the highest cap of resources trained in technology worldwide, but more than 50% of companies say they do not get enough resources, said Jaime Vallés, VP AWS Latam.
In Latin America, AWS aims at a massive training concept and works in different programs both from the commercial area and from the public sector. In the public sector, it is working in partnership with NGOs and governments.
In all cases, Amazon's training offer is free of charge and aims to solve different issues of the gap. One approach is online courses available in different languages. Another is AWS Educate, a set of 12 modules available to any citizen that does not require prior knowledge of technology. The latter was implemented in Colombia, Brazil and Central America with different organizations and ministries. Another line is AWS Academy, which allows to obtain certifications in Amazon solutions.
For professionals who need to improve or incorporate knowledge of the cloud, ReStart was launched in partnership with foundations and institutions in Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica. With support from the IDB and jointly with universities, they have implemented the Tech Skills program.
Carol Piña, leader of the Massive Training project, mentioned that according to IDC, 65% of top companies find it difficult to attract and retain talent for the digital culture. In the region, Piña explained, clients demand from AWS collaboration in the development of talent because they have projects that cannot be completed because they do not have the necessary trained resources.
AWS is committed to creating massive training mechanisms to close the talent gap as quickly as possible, with programs aimed at mass audiences, focusing on minorities, vulnerable sectors and non-technical profiles.
Examples in the region include the agreement with Boticario in Brazil to train 300,000 people by 2025, focusing on the North and Northeast of the country; and in Mexico, the work with the government of Baja California and 10 universities to train students and professors. In Colombia, they focused on IT graduates, an important group that needed to acquire knowledge of cloud technologies. In Argentina, they implemented ReStart with YPF, focusing on women members of families working in oil wells.
Piña mentioned that in a recent study conducted with Gallup, 98% of the people who participated in training had a positive impact on their careers and salaries. By 2023, the aim is to reach a wider audience.