Dive Brief:
- AWS added two cloud-based AI credentials to its professional certifications portfolio, along with associated training courses in machine learning and generative AI proficiencies, the company said in a Tuesday announcement.
- The new offerings include a foundation level certification for non-technical business functions called AWS Certified AI Practitioner and an advanced certification for IT professionals called AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer — Associate.
- The cloud provider added three ML engineering courses to its Skill Builder subscription service and plans to add more this summer. Training resources for the AI practitioner certification include eight free courses in AI/ML fundamentals, use cases and prompt engineering.
Dive Insight:
As AWS races to deploy large language model tools across its cloud services, enterprises are focused on developing the skills needed to deploy the technology safely and productively.
AI isn't new for the enterprise, but generative AI’s natural language processing capabilities have opened a fresh can of worms. Instead of merely onboarding engineers with AI proficiencies, companies are looking to upskill workers across business functions in search of productivity gains.
AWS designed the AI practitioner credential for marketing, sales, human resources, finance and accounting professionals who want to cultivate a formal understanding of AI applications, safety issues and best practices. The certification can also function as an introduction for IT professionals, Jenni Troutman, head of products and services for AWS Training and Certification, told CIO Dive.
“It’s meant for businesspeople, but we expect it will be relevant more broadly, because it gives technical people who don't have credentials in this space yet a good foundation,” Troutman said.
Sourcing tech talent remains an ongoing and longstanding enterprise challenge, particularly in critical areas like cloud and cybersecurity.
IT job postings rose as unemployment among tech professionals dipped to 2.5% in May, according to CompTIA’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Postings for IT pros with AI skills and proficiencies in the closely related field of data science showed significant upward momentum, the analysis found.
Not surprisingly, AI certifications can be a boon for professionals entering the job market. As postings for generative AI skills have proliferated, job marketplace Indeed found that jobseekers with proficiencies in the technology can expect a nearly 50% salary bump.
For a hyperscaler like AWS, AI is another service customers can leverage to improve efficiency and spur innovation. Enterprise adoption of the technology helps to drive up cloud consumption and spur data migrations.
AWS expanded its portfolio of free LLM training in February and rolled out a six-week leadership-focused Udemy generative AI course in early June. The cloud provider pledged to provide AI skills training to 2 million people globally by 2025.
