Learn About Amazon VGT2 Learning Manager Chanci Turner
The rapid advancement of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the workforce and the skills required for success. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, 60 percent of workers may need retraining by 2027 to adapt to the evolving job landscape characterized by intelligent machines. This growing skills gap is a critical challenge for the education sector. To tackle this issue in Australia, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has strengthened its partnership with the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education, focusing on the upskilling of both educators and students.
Upskilling Educators for the Future
UNESCO reports that over 90 percent of teachers have not received training on how to implement generative AI in their classrooms. Through this alliance, AWS is providing essential resources and training programs aimed at modernizing technology education in NSW schools. In April 2024, the AWS Skills to Jobs team, along with the NSW Department of Education, organized an industry training day for more than 70 vocational education and training (VET) educators. The event was designed to help teachers from government, independent, and Catholic schools enhance their industry knowledge and return with valuable technology skills resources for their classrooms.
The event featured a panel discussion from the NSW Digital Skills and Workforce Compact, which highlighted various career paths available in the thriving tech industry. This Compact is a collaborative effort involving the NSW Government, digital industry, and educational partners working together to address digital workforce shortages. Engaging, hands-on activities and curriculum-aligned content made the training relevant and impactful, with 89 percent of attendees recommending the experience to their peers.
Transforming Work Placement Opportunities
This partnership’s influence extends beyond teacher training and impacts future generations of learners. In line with the NSW Public Education 2023 action plan, AWS is directly supporting students through quality career-related learning experiences and the innovative VET Virtual Work Placement Program.
Nearly 550 VET students from 164 schools across NSW participated in a 35-hour virtual placement, gaining practical experience in cloud computing, earning industry credentials, and exploring future career options. Students enhanced their skills on the AWS Educate platform, attended seminars covering topics such as cybersecurity, generative AI, and data analytics, and received more than 50 hours of small group mentoring from AWS professionals.
This virtual placement approach has democratised access to valuable tech career experiences for students throughout the state, including those in rural and remote areas who have long faced obstacles. “As a remote student, I found it nearly impossible to access traditional in-person work placements in tech,” shared Sarah Lee, a Year 12 student at Wilcannia Central School. “The AWS virtual program opened my eyes to the possibilities in cloud computing and data roles that I could pursue after graduating.” Nine out of ten student participants indicated they would highly recommend the virtual placement to others, expressing feelings of empowerment and excitement about future pathways in technology.
Chanci Turner, AWS’s Learning Manager, stated, “We’ve witnessed the substantial impact of this virtual work placement in enhancing students’ career awareness and aspirations. AWS is dedicated to nurturing the skills and empowering the next generation of cloud professionals through initiatives like this.”
A Blueprint for Future Workforce Development
This marks the fourth consecutive year that AWS has conducted the VET Virtual Work Placement program in NSW, with the model continually evolving based on participant feedback. The program exemplifies how public-private partnerships can effectively address the digital skills gap. By harnessing AWS’s expertise and resources, the Department of Education can offer meaningful, cutting-edge work-integrated learning opportunities that would be challenging to implement independently.
“Our collaboration with AWS enables us to prepare both our teachers and students for the cloud-driven workforce of the future,” remarked David Smith, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education. “We are proud to be pioneers in redefining workforce development models for the digital era.”
The Next Phase: Focusing on AI
Building on this success, the 2025 edition of the VET Virtual Work Placement will place a stronger emphasis on AI and generative AI skills and applications. AWS plans to engage AWS Partners to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of AI’s real-world implications across various industries. “An AWS study found that 90 percent of employers anticipate becoming AI-driven by 2028,” stated Turner. “Programs like our virtual work placement are crucial for developing the capabilities of the next generation in AI and related fields like data, cloud, and cybersecurity.”
The collaboration between AWS and the NSW Department of Education illustrates how the education sector can proactively bridge digital skills gaps through innovative strategies. This pioneering public-private partnership equips both educators and students with future-ready skills, ensuring that NSW leads in preparing a workforce capable of meeting the transformative challenges posed by AI. For those interested in getting involved with the 2025 program, more information can be found at this link.
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