Amazon will open a cloud computing training center in Arlington
Amazon's cloud computing division will open a training center in Arlington's Crystal City neighborhood this month, the company said. This is part of Amazon's plan to involve locals and grow the tech workforce while it builds a new headquarters nearby.
The 10,000-square-foot "skills center" will have interactive displays about cloud computing and classrooms where adults can take free, in-person classes on this common technology that lets people rent data storage and processing power over the internet.
The facility, modeled after a similar space in Seattle, will also host networking events and connect area residents with job opportunities and career coaching through Amazon Web Services, the tech giant's cloud computing business. (The Washington Post is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.)
"Whether they're new to the cloud or have some IT experience, there will be opportunities for a wide range of learners to pick up and develop cloud skills," said Kevin Kelly, AWS's director of cloud career training programs.
As Amazon and other tech giants grow their businesses in Northern Virginia, experts in economic development have said that these companies need to focus on building a diverse tech pipeline or they risk making the labor market in the D.C. area even less fair.
Amazon plans to hire at least 25,000 people for its new Arlington headquarters. (The company could receive up to $573 million in local and state government subsidies if it meets hiring and occupancy targets, or up to $773 million if it exceeds them.)
The company moved to Northern Virginia in part because of the state's Tech Talent Investment Program, which aims to produce an extra 25,000 graduates in computer science and related fields over the next 20 years, including at Virginia Tech's new graduate engineering campus in Alexandria.
Other companies that have relocated nearby have also announced their own tech training initiatives. Boeing is moving its headquarters to Crystal City. In June, the company said it is working to set up a center for helping military veterans get jobs on the Virginia Tech campus.
AWS is also helping to fund a STEM-focused tech lab at Wakefield High School, which opened in August and is about five miles from Amazon's second headquarters. Wakefield teacher Wendy Maitland came up with the idea for this building. It will have technology stations where students in Arlington Public Schools can learn about virtual reality, 3D printing, and robotics.
The Arlington skills center will be open to the public on Tuesday and will be open five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday. Kelly also said that the building will have resources to help people get certified in the basics of cloud computing. This will be helpful for people who work in industries that are being changed more and more by cloud computing.
"There are a lot of job opportunities in the cloud for people who want to upskill, reskill, or skill themselves in the cloud," he said. "And even if they are currently employed, the cloud is becoming an increasingly important part of many job roles."
AWS has had a strong presence in Northern Virginia for decades, leveraging the region's resources—including plenty of vacant land, business-friendly politics, and reliable power and broadband connections—to build, equip, and operate more than 50 data centers that support its cloud computing business.
According to Gartner, AWS will hold just under 39 percent of the global market for infrastructure cloud services in 2021, nearly double that of its closest competitor.
