TCS Accelerates Entry-Level Talent Deployment Using AWS Education Programs

TCS was founded in 1968, and has since become one of the largest service providers in India’s burgeoning software industry, with over 614,000 employees distributed across more than 45 countries. It invests heavily in training—team members receive an average of 121 hours of instruction—and mandates upskilling for all team members. “We are focused on talent transformation using various AWS Education Programs,” says Pallavi Rao, global delivery head of the banking and financial services AWS Business Unit at TCS.

To support its growing business demands, TCS needed to hire more entry-level, cloud-skilled candidates quickly. However, it had to verify that its new hires could deliver on complex projects and meet customer expectations. “Getting entry-level resources from the market who have AWS Certifications and Training helps us immediately deploy these trainees in AWS projects,” says M Kalaa, entry-level talent acquisition leader at TCS. As part of becoming an AWS Partner, TCS began researching AWS Academy, which empowers higher education institutions to prepare students for industry-recognized certifications and careers in the cloud. TCS recognized that it could use AWS Education Programs, such as AWS Academy, to access a larger candidate pool with eager-to-learn, motivated, entry-level professionals. In the first 2 years of the AWS Business Unit’s existence, TCS already sourced almost 500 new hires from AWS Academy.

To maintain its Global Systems Integrator status, TCS has a goal of fielding a workforce with a sizable number of AWS-Certified graduates in TCS-AWS projects. The organization uses resources from AWS Training and Certification to prepare its new hires to earn AWS Certification, which helps learners validate their cloud expertise with an industry-recognized credential, before sending them out to clients. AWS curricula are also used to upskill existing employees, with over 19,000 team members certified in various AWS topics. TCS found that if it hired AWS Education Programs graduates who already earned their AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification—indicating that they had a foundational understanding of AWS concepts and services—it could dramatically reduce its need to train new employees. TCS also sought graduates who earned their AWS Certified Developer – Associate Certification, which showcases knowledge and understanding of core AWS services, uses, and basic AWS architecture best practices. “Trainees are excited to learn a lot, they like experimenting, and they deliver value to our clients,” says Rao.

TCS found that students who graduated from AWS Academy were far better equipped to contribute in a professional capacity than students who had not gone through the program. “We take 2–3 months to train and certify our new hires on cloud essentials,” says Rao. “Entry-level candidates from AWS Academy quickly contribute to growth areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics.”

TCS maintains a diverse environment with employees from 153 nationalities and women making up 35.7 percent of the company’s global workforce. TCS is advancing its diversity goals by using AWS Education Programs, such as AWS re/Start, a multi-week, cohort-based workforce development training program that prepares unemployed or underemployed individuals for careers in the cloud. Through AWS re/Start, the company has worked to onboard women who are returning to their professions after a career break. TCS is also combining an internal initiative, the Youth Employment Program, with AWS Academy, to assist students from rural areas to get certified and have access to better employment opportunities.

Today, TCS has AWS Education Programs graduates working for clients all over the globe. “We deploy entry-level associates as AWS developers, AWS engineers, DevOps engineers, data engineers, SysOps administrators, and more,” says Rao. “They contribute to project delivery for various clients around the world.” By improving the skills of its cloud workforce, TCS is better able to meet the demand for cloud expertise.