Australia’s RMIT teams up with AWS on cloud skills training

Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) is offering two online courses to get IT and business professionals up to speed with cloud computing services from Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Through a new partnership with AWS Academy, RMIT Online will offer the AWS Cloud Practitioner and AWS Cloud Architect courses, delivered through hands-on lab sessions and project work over six weeks.

AWS Cloud Practitioner is an entry-level course to help business and technology professionals prepare them for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. It will also introduce participants to the fundamentals of cloud computing, AWS services, and broader business considerations related to cloud.

The second course, AWS Cloud Architect, will explore deeper into the tools and services available in the AWS ecosystem, and is aimed at technology professionals.

After completing the course, students, who will also mentored by companies such as Intellify and Versent, will receive RMIT credentials and the option to take the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam.

Globally, cloud adoption has grown rapidly: Gartner estimates that 81% of enterprises were using cloud services in 2018.

But Australia is still at an early stage in the cloud journey, with some businesses struggling to achieve the full benefits of cloud-based innovation, partly because of skills shortages.

Helen Souness, CEO of RMIT Online, said the launch of the courses was a positive continuation of the university’s tech-led approach to creating academic and industry credentialed courses to meet the demand for skills that businesses want.

“We are thrilled to extend our collaboration with AWS Academy to provide courses that are relevant for Australia’s workforce and respond to technological innovation,” said Souness.

“Cloud computing is continuing to revolutionise how businesses across Australia operate and how their employees work. By offering these industry-developed and certified courses, we hope to help bridge gaps that companies across Australia might be facing to ensure they are cloud-ready.”

Scott McKinley, global team lead at AWS Academy, said that with cloud computing becoming a dominant technology platform, the courses will offer a pathway for students to gain the necessary computing skills and knowledge to prepare them for the IT workforce.

“Students will graduate with the training and certification that will prepare them for the workforce and help the industry to close the skills gap,” he said.