SkillStorm helps veterans get tech jobs with AWS Training and Certification

The growing cloud skills gap presents a challenge and an opportunity, as does reskilling the 200,000 military veterans who reenter civilian life in the United States each year. SkillStorm, a digital training and workplace transformation firm, addresses both these challenges by hiring, training, and deploying diverse tech talent to its Fortune 500 clients. A major focus for SkillStorm is working with talented, underemployed military veterans who want to transition into tech jobs.

In 2021 SkillStorm became a trusted single-source provider for customers’ Amazon Web Services (AWS) skills development needs by joining the AWS Training Partner Program. SkillStorm focuses on training transitioning service members to help its clients meet the demand for skilled cloud engineers. Its 16-week Tech Training Accelerator program uses training from AWS Training and Certification. The program equips learners with in-demand skills that they need for fulfilling tech careers in cloud security, software development, and cloud support.

Training for cloud skills with SkillStorm’s programs for veterans

SkillStorm’s focus on veterans is strategic. Veterans have considerable skills, but they’re not always specific tech qualifications. “In the military, you learn to adapt and overcome obstacles, work in teams, and pay attention to the small things,” says Benjamin Mathews, general counsel at SkillStorm. “These are great characteristics for technology professionals.” Many veterans also have security clearance, an advantage when it comes to working on government contracts. Mathews, himself a current lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve JAG Corps, says, “It’s much quicker to train a cleared veteran in technology than it is for a technologist to obtain a security clearance.”

SkillStorm is also a VET TEC Preferred Provider, so eligible learners can get funding from Veterans Affairs to earn industry certifications. And SkillStorm works directly with hiring partners who source talent from its programs, so graduates are quickly placed in careers. “We work with organizations that have veteran hiring initiatives and are looking to fill tech jobs,” Mathews says. “We supply them with a robust pipeline of certified veterans.”

SkillStorm has a strong record of success. “We use a rigorous screening and selection process so the folks who get in have the aptitude and base knowledge that they need to complete our courses, land a job, and hit the ground running,” Mathews says. Many of SkillStorm’s trainees earn AWS Certifications within just a few months, finding meaningful employment shortly after.

Accelerating Tobius Nelson’s career with SkillStorm

Tobius Nelson, a military veteran and CortexAI delivery engineer consultant at Deloitte Consulting

One of SkillStorm’s graduates is Tobius Nelson. Upon leaving the US Navy as an aviation machinist, Nelson did a variety of physically demanding civilian jobs. “When you get home, you realize that certain salaries make it difficult to provide for yourself and your family,” Nelson says. When workplaces shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, he imagined a different future. “I wanted to have the skills to thrive in the knowledge economy and a job that would provide better career prospects in the long run,” he says.

Nelson always loved computers but had no experience with cloud computing, machine learning, or artificial intelligence. “Once I realized I wanted to be in technology, I also wanted to be on the tip of the spear,” he says. When Nelson discovered SkillStorm’s immersive Tech Training Accelerator program, its attention to veterans was a major selling point because it signaled that SkillStorm understood the challenges facing transitioning service members.

Nelson gave the 16-week program his all, taking courses full time and studying nights and weekends. “The teachers were available almost 24/7, so if I needed help, I could email or text and they would respond,” Nelson says. He loved learning and using his creativity, as well as the hands-on opportunities to practice skills. “The program definitely moves you past just studying theory. It gives you confidence,” Nelson adds. SkillStorm also provided career counseling for soft skills, like public speaking, resume building, and networking—skills he eventually used to land a job as a CortexAI delivery engineer consultant at Deloitte Consulting.

Preparing veterans to seize life-changing opportunities

In May 2022, Nelson graduated from SkillStorm’s Tech Training Accelerator program with two AWS Certifications. The first, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, validates a foundational understanding of AWS Cloud concepts, services, and terminology. The second, AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, showcases skills in AWS technology across a wide range of AWS services.

While preparing for these exams, Nelson worked part-time and applied for full-time jobs. “SkillStorm got me some temporary jobs doing AWS work while I was networking and interviewing,” Nelson says. “In August 2022, I received an offer, and in September, I started working at Deloitte Consulting. I was able to come right in, fit in with the team, and start adding value immediately.”

Nelson is highly satisfied with how SkillStorm’s AWS Training helped him get to where he is. “I really enjoy what I’m doing on a day-to-day basis,” he says. “I feel excellent. I feel blessed. I feel grateful.”