A new partnership between Columbus State Community College and Amazon Web Services is aiming to get more heads in the cloud.

Beginning in October, the community college and Amazon Web Services will offer two cloud-computing courses that can help students earn valuable information technology (IT) certifications.

The community college will offer two courses from the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Academy: a six-week introductory Cloud Foundations course; and a 10-week hands-on and project-based Cloud Computing Architecture course. The courses will prepare students to pursue AWS Cloud Practitioner and AWS Solutions Architect certifications, which are increasingly recognized and desired within the IT industry, said Todd Warner, executive in residence for workforce innovation at Columbus State.

“Industry is pointing to this and saying, ‘This is worth money; this is valuable,’” Warner said.

Columbus State leaders said the AWS Academy course offerings at the college can help with a lack of qualified IT people to meet demand in central Ohio.

“This is an opportunity to close that gap for us,” said Warner. “We’re seeing more of a need to re-skill those people already in IT, or bring more people into the IT realm of jobs and careers.”

“The AWS Academy curriculum that Columbus State is offering will help busy IT professionals advance their careers while enabling employers to quickly fill gaps in high-demand jobs through targeted education that builds on existing skills,” Columbus State President David Harrison said in a written statement. “We look forward to growing the program and building further relationships with Amazon in our region toward offering expanded cloud-computing education opportunities.”

The availability of the AWS courses at Columbus State are also positive for the local economy, Columbus 2020 president and chief economic officer Kenny McDonald said in a written statement.

“This is an important new resource to grow the Columbus region’s economy,” McDonald said. “Employers are hungry for this type of innovative solution to meet their workforce needs now and into the future.”

Columbus State joins just one other higher education institution in Ohio — Sinclair Community College in Dayton — as an AWS Academy member institution, according to the academy’s website.

AWS Academy courses are taught by instructors trained by AWS. The curriculum is developed by AWS experts and is updated to reflect current services and best practices.

Columbus State has already partnered with Amazon as a Career Choice education service provider to Amazon’s local fulfillment center employees.

jsmola@dispatch.com

@jennsmola