Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced last week at its Public Sector Summit in Washington, D.C., that it has formed a public private partnership (P3) with the second largest community college in the United States, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), to offer a new cloud computing degree program.
According to LinkedIn, cloud computing is the most in-demand hard skill. It’s one of the first degrees of its kind offered by a two-year school, and the Northern Virginia community college awards more IT degrees than any community college in the U.S., the Washington Business Journal reported.
The partners’ 63-credit associate degree program is “mapped to the skills and competency-based credentials required by AWS and other cloud employers,” according to the story. All students pursuing the cloud computing degree through NOVA’s existing information systems technology program will receive membership in the AWS Educate program, and get hands-on experience with leading cloud technology and tools.
Classes are expected to start in the fall, but courses for high school students and program partnerships with four-year universities in the region are also a possible outcome of the AWS community college partnership.
This model can be and should be a model for educational institutions across the country and the world,” said Teresa Carlson, the vice president of AWS’ worldwide public sector business, in her keynote speech at the summit when she announced the new cloud computing degree.
The partnership with AWS helps NOVA “live up to our original charge to be this region’s academy of opportunity to promote economic mobility for our students and for our families,” said Campus President Scott Ralls.
Read the original story on the Washington Business Journal website.
