Accenture is collaborating with AWS to help underemployed or unemployed individuals in India start a career in cloud computing through AWS re/Start, a 12-week, in-person, skills-development program that is offered at no cost and prepares learners for entry-level roles in areas like IT operations, site reliability, and infrastructure support. It will also connect learners to potential employers and offer support for resume writing and coaching for job interviews.
Accenture is funding the program and rolling it out in India through four non-profit organizations that are part of Accenture’s skilling ecosystem in India – Anudip Foundation, Don Bosco Tech Society, Magic Bus Foundation, and the Hope Foundation. Volunteers from Accenture will also offer mentoring support to the learners.
The first 12 cohorts of this program have commenced across 11 cities including Kurnool, Trichy, Kochi, Punalur, Vijayawada, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.
A recent study conducted by AlphaBeta and commissioned by AWS found that despite the projected high demand for employees with cloud-based skills, nearly half the workers in India (46%) are not confident in gaining digital skills fast enough to further their careers. The survey also found that a staggering 95% of employees and businesses face barriers to digital upskilling, and underserved communities such as the rural population and women in India face more challenges. With 27.3 million workers in India estimated to need digital skills training over the next year alone, the report’s findings underscore the need for access to upskilling programs.
Kshitija Krishnaswamy, Managing Director – Corporate Citizenship, Accenture in India said, “At Accenture, we have a long-standing commitment to being a talent creator that develops skills to improve lives. Since 2010, we have empowered more than a million people in India, including youth and women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and persons with disabilities, to find work or earn a livelihood by equipping them with relevant skills. Besides skill building at scale through collaboration with learning partners, a key pillar of our efforts is to build a bridge between the skilled and employers, and we are using our vast network and experience to help realize the tremendous opportunities presented by cloud technologies.”
“The AWS re/Start program is a solution designed for individuals in need, their communities, and the organizations they work for. Our training program is helping unemployed and underemployed people across India develop critical cloud skills and find in-demand cloud opportunities. We are proud to work with Accenture to build a diverse and robust workforce of the future and enable organizations to accelerate their innovation with the AWS Cloud,” said Amit Mehta, Head of Business Development for Education & Training, Amazon Internet Services Private Limited.
The program is open to unemployed and underemployed individuals including those without prior technology experience. The participants will learn to build programming language (Linux and Python), networking, security, and relational database skills through scenario-based exercises, hands-on assignments, and coursework.
At the end of the program, participants have the option to take the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification exam at no cost, validating their cloud skills with an industry-recognized credential.