ICYMI: New courses, stories, and resources from AWS Training and Certification in November 2021

Editor’s Note: Below is a summary of new courses, AWS Certification news, AWS Partner information, customer successes, and other updates from AWS Training and Certification for November 2021. Dive in and explore more training content, stories, and resources.

New AWS Digital Training and AWS Classroom Training courses

Experience interactive machine learning training with AWS and NVIDIA

Looking for an opportunity to practice and test your ability to build, train, and deploy scalable machine learning (ML) models? Look no further. Hands-on Machine Learning with AWS and NVIDIA, launching on Coursera and intended for data scientists and developers, covers the entire ML workflow with experiential labs covering computer vision and natural language processing use cases. The four-week, intermediate course—with five to six hours of learning time per week—allows you to learn best practices and training for deploying complex ML in the cloud from experts at both AWS and NVIDIA. Basic familiarity with ML concepts and programming ability in Python are prerequisites for this course. Learn more about Hands-on Machine Learning with AWS and NVIDIA and register today.

Amazon Aurora MySQL and Amazon RDS MySQL for database professionals, students, and more

Curious about AWS databases that are compatible with MySQL? Amazon Aurora MySQL and Amazon RDS MySQL can help. This eight-course, digital, intermediate-level curriculum covers courses on foundational concepts on Amazon Aurora, Amazon RDS, and PostgreSQL. It introduces you to recommendations and best practices for common database administration, maintenance, and management aspects in MySQL-compatible editions of Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS. The eight-hour, self-paced, digital course is interactive with knowledge checks and includes audio and visual content to engage learners. The course is currently available in English and no prerequisites are required. Learn more and register today for Amazon Aurora MySQL and Amazon RDS MySQL.

Design solutions with Deep Dive: Architecting with Amazon Elastic Block Store

Did you know our Deep Dive: Architecting with Amazon Block Store (Amazon EBS) course sets you on the path to designing your EBS solution using well-architected frameworks and best practices? This advanced-level course, intended for a technical audience, examines how to plan and design an Amazon EBS architecture for your organization’s needs. You’ll explore designing for data availability, lifecycle management strategies, and architecting for security. This free, two-and-a-half-hour course includes knowledge checks with detailed feedback in each module and a new interactive lab for a fee. Learn more and register today: Customers, Partners, Amazonians

A new classroom course for building data analytics solutions

Want to learn how to build a data analytics pipeline using Amazon Redshift in an interactive environment with the help of expert AWS instructors? If yes, then Building Data Analytics Solutions using Amazon Redshift, an intermediate, one-day, classroom course, is for you. The course includes eight modules, three experiential labs, and five interactive demonstrations, and you’ll experience a trainer-facilitated exercise to build a data warehouse solution for a given scenario. This course is intended for those responsible for building data analytics pipelines that include the Amazon Redshift data warehouse, particularly data platform engineers and data warehouse engineers. Attendees should have one or more years of experience managing a data warehouse in addition to AWS Cloud experience. Building Data Lakes on AWS is a prerequisite for this course. Read the AWS Training and Certification blog post about this course and register today: Customer, Partners, Amazonians

Advance your cloud skills

AWS Training gives Partners a competitive advantage

AWS Training and Certification provides Partner organizations with the training and resources to take their AWS Cloud skills to the next level. According to a recent AWS-commissioned report from Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), 78% of Partners surveyed reported that AWS Training gives them the expertise to answer customer questions about cloud operations and 77% reported seeing an increased ability to communicate the benefits of AWS solutions to their customers. As an employee of a Partner, you can take advantage of complimentary access to AWS Training courses developed by the experts at AWS. Read more about how AWS Training gives Partners a competitive advantage.

Come build and learn with us at AWS re:Invent

The tenth annual AWS re:Invent conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 29 – December 3, with virtual events offered through December 10, is fast approaching. The conference includes five keynotes and unlimited access to thousands of breakout sessions so you can learn about the latest in cloud computing. Several learning options are available for learners at all skill levels, including interactive sessions, small-group chalk talks—a short lecture followed by a 45- or 50-minute Q&A session with the audience—and even lecture-style breakout sessions, which will be available for virtual attendees as well. Read more about what we have in store for AWS re:Invent attendees.

The business benefits of hiring early career cloud talent

The cloud skills gap continues to widen, but hiring those early in their cloud career continues to be an effective strategy for businesses to stay ahead of the technical talent demand. Kevin Kelly, director of AWS Education Programs at AWS, lays out the newest trends we see emerging from the four reasons to invest in entry-level cloud talent. The trends include: 1) Pair motivated, eager-to-learn talent with tenured mentors; 2) build a team with various skill levels and existing practical tech experience; 3) keep your talent longer, saving time, money, and resources; and 4) diverse backgrounds and experiences create stability and drive innovation. Read more about the business benefits of hiring early career cloud talent.

Resources to navigate your AWS Cloud learning journey

Learn from three Tech U graduates about how they keep their cloud architecting skills fresh. Aayzed Tanweer, Carole Suarez, and Shefali Emmanuel outline the resources they use to stay on the cutting edge of cloud innovation—everything from Twitch training, AWS blogs, interactive tutorials and labs, and AWS Certifications to engaging with peers and leaders via AWS communities and events and social media. Read more about resources to navigate your AWS Cloud learning journey.

Breaking down the questions on AWS Certification exams

Manikanta Gona, a cloud consultant apprentice with the Amazon Technical Apprenticeship program, shares his journey to earn all 11 AWS Certifications with tips on how to break down the AWS Certification exam questions. He suggests answering the following three questions: 1) What requirement(s) does the question put in place? 2) What’s the condition? 3) Following AWS best practices, what’s the best solution? Manikanta provides examples of this using the AWS Certified Developer – Associate practice exam from 2021 from an AWS Training Partner, Tutorials Dojo. Read more of Manikanta’s tips on breaking down the questions on AWS Certification exams, including suggestions for exam time management.

AWS re/Start expands to new global locations

AWS re/Start is a free, 12-week, full-time, classroom-based development and training program that prepares individuals who are unemployed or underemployed for entry-level cloud positions. AWS re/Start is one of many programs helping Amazon train 29 million people around the world with free cloud skills training by 2025. This month, the program launched in Accra, Ghana; Bogota, Columbia; Assiut, Egypt; and Edinburgh, UK. Find a full list of participating locations and fill out our AWS re/Start interest form to learn more and connect with graduates.

On the About Amazon Blog

How Amazon helps military veterans and spouses reimagine their careers

Through company-funded programs like the Amazon Technical Apprenticeship, we’re training military members and their spouses for in-demand technical roles at Amazon. We also have several programs for the public, including AWS Educate and AWS re/Start, which are part of our global commitment to provide 29 million people with free access to cloud computing skills training by 2025. Read more about Ardine Williams’ journey to Amazon from the U.S. Army Signal Corps to Amazon, as well as the journey of other military veterans and spouses who are reimagining their careers at Amazon.

Free AWS Courses on Amazon.com help customers advance their careers

Looking to upskill and advance your cloud career? Amazon is introducing free AWS online courses for customers in the US. The program offers beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level courses on topics like cloud computing and technology, crafted by AWS experts. You’ll be able to find and select courses in specific topics, review your course library, and pick up your learning wherever you left off on Amazon.com. AWS courses are a mix of video, text, downloadable files, and knowledge checks to provide engaging content throughout the courses. The new courses are available to all customers on Amazon.com/courses. Read more about free AWS courses on Amazon.com.

AWS GetIT pilot program in Singapore to inspire youths—especially girls—into tech

GetIT is a fully funded AWS Education program that introduces young students to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas, such as cloud computing, with the goal of helping them gain digital skills, challenge gender stereotypes within the tech industry, and encourage them to consider a career in technology. Launching the second phase of the Singapore pilot in March 2022, students will be presented with challenge packs to create creative solutions using technology to address real-world problems in their community or school. Read more about the AWS GetIT pilot in Singapore.

On the AWS Public Sector Blog

Accelerating government innovation in Japan

The Japan Digital Agency (DA) has selected AWS as one of the cloud service providers that support government cloud, which delivers common cloud infrastructure that central government agencies, local governments, and other government organizations can use. AWS is committed to supporting the DA and Japanese government organizations in achieving their digital initiatives, driving local economic growth, and solving some of the biggest challenges in society. Our work in Japan over the past decade represents our long-term commitment to the government and the nation. Read more about Amazon’s efforts to support accelerating government innovation in Japan.

AWS Training and Certification empowers learners around the world with various skill levels, roles, and backgrounds to build knowledge and practical skills. We offer more than 500 free, on-demand courses that help customers learn new cloud skills and services when and where it’s convenient for them, as part of Amazon’s commitment to train 29 million people around the world with free cloud skills training. Additionally, AWS Classroom Training offers live classes with expert instructors who teach in-demand cloud skills and best practices using a mix of presentations, discussions, and interactive labs. When you’re ready to validate your skills and expertise, pursue AWS Certifications to build credibility and confidence with an industry-recognized credential across 11 solution- and role-based certifications. Our training and certification offerings cover the range of AWS services from AWS foundational skills, machine learning, security, data analytics, systems operations, AWS architecture, databases, and more. We also help cultivate the next generation of cloud professionals through our AWS Education Programs, including AWS Academy and AWS re/Start, which provide cloud skills training and AWS Certification opportunities to young adults and individuals re-entering the workforce.

Organizations across the globe are seeking individuals skilled in the transformative technologies of the cloud. Developed at the source, AWS Training and Certification equips diverse builders with the knowledge they need to leverage the power of the AWS Cloud. Follow us today on LinkedIn.