Skip to content
Reading time: 2 minutes

Group photo Amazon Web Services collaboration

The University of Hawaiʻi System and Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE), announced on August 30 a collaborative effort with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to train, upskill and certify students in cloud computing skills over the next three years. The training could lead to pathways for technical jobs.

As the private and public sectors increasingly rely on cloud computing technology, skilled technical workers continue to be in high demand nationally and in Hawaiʻi. There were more than 9,600 unique job postings requiring cloud computing skills in Hawaiʻi in the past year, according to some estimates.

President Lassner presenting at podium

“The cloud has become the predominant method to rapidly deploy new information systems and services,” UH President David Lassner said. “We are delighted to enter into this new statewide commitment with AWS, one of the leading cloud service providers in the world, and the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, to plan how we will work together to provide real-world AWS skills and certifications to Hawaiʻi residents and students at all levels across the islands.”

Through this initiative, organizations in Hawaiʻi will work with the AWS Academy program to provide educational institutions with no-cost, ready-to-teach, cloud computing curriculum that prepares students for industry-recognized AWS certifications and in-demand cloud jobs.

Educators at participating institutions will have access to instructor training. Students can also access self-paced online training courses and labs from AWS. This collaborative effort aims to establish a workforce talent pipeline from high school through higher education, with a short-term goal of training and certifying 150 learners by 2025.

“This is an exciting time as we align K–12 education and higher education with workforce development and emerging sectors in Hawaiʻi — such as IT and cloud computing — to ensure our students are the top candidates for high-skill, high-wage, in-demand, and future-focused jobs,” HIDOE Superintendent Keith Hayashi said. “We look forward to working together to strengthen our shared commitment in preparing our future leaders for Hawaiʻi’s workforce needs.”

The initial AWS education programs will be piloted at ʻAiea and Pearl City high schools and this effort is designed to help prepare students for internships, apprenticeships and pathways to additional cloud skills training.

“The future of work is being shaped by evolving technology where roles in software development, data science, cybersecurity, machine learning and more often require cloud computing skills,” said Kim Majerus, vice president, US Education, State and Local Government at AWS. “As we try to imagine future jobs that don’t currently exist, cloud computing technology will be a driving force in creating those new exciting careers. AWS is proud to collaborate with policy, education, and government leaders in Hawaiʻi to prepare learners for in-demand careers today, and help individuals build the foundational skills to pursue the jobs of tomorrow.”

Hayashi, Lassner and Mark Ronaldson, sales leader, State and Local Government at AWS made the collaboration official during a ceremonial signing at Pearl City High School.

Back To Top