Howard University has announced it is collaborating with AWS to help train students and give them a pathway to a cloud-based technical career.

Cloud computing has become one of the most important trends in modern computing. Especially as the pandemic impacted the world, cloud computing became a vital lifeline, helping organizations remain productive.

AWS is currently the leading cloud provider, and the company is working to help train the next generation of cloud experts. Its collaboration with Howard University is a big part of that, with concepts from AWS Educate included in the university’s curriculum. The university is also creating a new master’s degree program with an emphasis on data science, one that will include cloud computing elements.

“Howard’s collaboration with AWS is focused on empowering students at various levels to learn and master the skills needed for a cloud career, exposing them to exciting opportunities throughout their educational experience,” said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph. “We’re engaging our middle school to introduce concepts early on, and creating advanced courses to give our graduate students a competitive edge when pursuing cloud careers. We are also making sure our educators are skilled-up with the tools and resources required for teaching, learning, and creating entrepreneurial ventures for African American and minority communities.”

“Amazon launched the Howard Entertainment Program in 2019 to build the next generation of entertainment industry executives,” said Director Kim Majerus, US Education, State and Local Government at AWS. “As we expand our collaboration with the university, AWS is excited to support talented and ambitious Howard students on their cloud career journeys. Howard University is a lighthouse institution not far from Amazon’s HQ2 facility, and we are preparing students not just for potential jobs with our company, but in-demand cloud positions across industries and sectors that need skilled technical talent.”