In late January Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced plans to build two data center complexes in Madison County, Mississippi, for an estimated $10 billion. “In coordination with the Madison County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA), AWS will establish multiple data center complexes in two Madison County industrial parks, which is projected to create at least 1,000 new jobs in the Magnolia State,” the company said when announcing its plans.
Along with the announcement of its construction plans, AWS said it committed to “support for STEAM awareness and learning opportunities for K-12 school systems including … a set of industry-designed curricular experiences and resources that engage middle school and older students in a work-like STEAM environment stocked with industry grade tools … [and] a career awareness program for elementary classrooms to engage students in a work-like STEAM environment, complete with an array of industry-grade hand tools and technology.”
Additionally, AWS pledged support for Mississippi’s “community colleges, technical schools, universities, and workforce development organizations to design, develop, and grow training programs and work-based learning opportunities that prepare job seekers for high-demand career pathways in the growing field of data center construction and operations, as well as the broadband expansion industry.”
Included within this initiative is a series of fiber-optic fusion splicing workshops, which AWS described as “two-day certificate courses implemented at local community colleges, technical schools, and universities that train individuals in new fusion splicing techniques and equipment, then connect these learners to fiber-broadband employers.”
In addition to the fusion splicing workshops, AWS will support information infrastructure workshops for educators in Mississippi, which are one-day workshops “to help education and workforce leaders better understand the physical layer of cloud computing and our information economy, and the many different careers that are available.”
Also, AWS is bringing to Mississippi training and support for community colleges and universities to implement fiber-optic technician and data center operations programs, including faculty training from industry subject matter experts; facilities and equipment donations to empower hands-on learning; and curricular content to link programs of study to industry standards and best practices.
As if that’s not enough, AWS will support education institutions and independent learners through the provision of free, ready-to-learn cloud computing curriculum that works backwards from employer demand for specific skills in roles in cloud support, software development, and data integration, among other cloud computing skills. This initiative is part of AWS’s commitment to provide free cloud skills training to 29 million people around the world.