Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced it reached a milestone in its drive to address the technology talent gap by providing cloud skills training to over two million individuals in India since 2017. India is riding a wave of innovation, which relies heavily on a digital workforce equipped to meet the rising demand for cloud computing. The region’s prosperity requires a strong digital workforce and tech professionals with relevant and current digital skills to keep up with the pace of change, the company said in a statement. 

By 2025, 63% of workers in India will feel the need for training in cloud-related skills to progress in their careers; and three of the top five most demanded digital skills by 2025 will be cloud-related, according to an AWS commissioned report from AlphaBeta. To meet the rising demand for digitally skilled workers, India’s current workforce needs to evolve. 

“We acknowledge that much more work must be done as we continue to build a better digital future in India,” said Phil Davis, Managing Director of Asia Pacific and Japan Commercial Sales at AWS. “Our goal is to help people—from beginners to seasoned IT professionals—gain new cloud computing skills, and we are committed to collaborating with the industry and governments to help bridge the digital skills gap,” Phil added.

AWS collaborates with higher education institutions, nonprofits, workforce development organizations, governments, and employers on a range of digital upskilling programs aimed at preparing the next generation of cloud professionals. 

In India, this includes programs like AWS re/Start, which is a free, 12-week, full-time, skill-development program that prepares unemployed, underemployed, and transitioning individuals for careers in cloud computing. The program is part of AWS’s global commitment to invest hundreds of millions of dollars globally to provide free cloud computing skills training to 29 million people. 

According to the Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce report, one way to help bridge the digital skills gap is to build a more diverse technologically enabled workforce. For instance, 73% of women workers who currently do not do any training indicated an interest in training within the next year. In addition, 62% of women reported that their top motivations to undertake digital skills training are the desire to improve their work productivity and increase their salary. Among women who received training, 94% improved their productivity at work and 91% experienced a salary increase upon undertaking digital skills training, which was higher than 92% and 86% respectively for men.