“Technology is a moving target,” said Jared Reimer, CEO, Cascadeo, and one of the panelists at the launch of “AWS Siklab Pilipinas 2019.” This is in response to the question of why is there always talks of talent shortage and skills gap in the industry.
While interests among students are high in computer science and related courses, they don’t have a concrete and clear path on what branches should they specialize on. The rapid growth in the industry in terms of innovation is another factor but the technologies are coming in too fast that by the time students are finished with their courses, there is an innovation that needs a new skill set.
“That is why we need to partner with players in the technology industry,” said
Talent shortage and skills gap are just a few of the reasons Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds an annual gathering of students to educate and equip them should they decide to join the cloud workforce.
Relearn skills
“Today, you have to learn and relearn skills,” said Vincent Quah, regional head, Education, Business, and Healthcare and Sales in the Public Sector, AWS, Asia Pacific.
This year’s AWS Siklab Pilipinas, a large-scale cloud technology training event for higher education institutions, will have three components: boot camp, gamified or hackathon challenge, and practical application through app building.
AWS Siklab’s value propositions include open source content, professional development, grants for a select few and access to AWS, and the chance to collaborate with others.
“We listened to our customers and are pleased to increase the training this year to two more cities in the Philippines and to hold the events on a monthly basis,” Quah said. “Participants will access more in-depth learning modules for specialized areas, such as the Internet of Things, machine learning, and big data analytics, which are aligned to what our customers are telling us are important skills for the future.”
Possible employment
On the last day of the event, AWS customers and members of the AWS Partners Network such as Aboitiz, Cebu Pacific, Globe, and Stratpoint, among others will meet with the participants who completed the training to discuss possible employment or internship opportunities.
Edukasyon.ph, a social enterprise that connects students to education opportunities through an online platform, is a co-organizer of the event.
AWS Siklab Pilipinas 2019 commenced in Manila on May 20. Details of the Cebu, Davao, and parts of Luzon leg will be announced in a few weeks. For more info, visit the AWS Siklab 2019 website.