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A look inside the comprehensive remote training and certifications options now available via the AWS partner network

The way we work is rapidly changing, which is why AWS have made it even easier to build your AWS Cloud skills. From hundreds of free, self-paced digital courses to virtual classroom training led by AWS experts, AWS Training and Certification provides flexible ways for you to learn. Whether you’re just getting started, exploring new proficiencies like machine learning, or sharpening your skills, AWS Training and Certification can help you get ready.

You’ll build skills to help you innovate during any stage of your partnership with AWS. Once you’re ready, validate your cloud skills with an AWS Certification. Now available with online proctoring, all AWS certification exams can be taken virtually. As new services, solutions, and tools becomes available through AWS, partners in the Amazon Partner Network (APN) find new ways to help the customers migrate to the platform and then leverage it to its maximum capabilities.

Other partners provide development support or build strong consulting practices around AWS to help their customers develop a strategic vision around long-term use of the platform.

Overall, AWS enables a broad range of channel organisations to find and hone their niche. Partners that want to become market leaders need to gain certification and be competent in the technology.

Comprehensive programs to build skills and certifications

Locally, AWS has partnered with Westcon-Comstor to drive its training program and enrol channel organisations in the APN program. Once on-board, partners can access a full suite of courses across business and technical certification.

There are three exams that can be taken to gain accreditation in specific areas of AWS: AWS Business Professional, AWS Cloud Economics, and AWS Technical Professional. Additionally, there are 21 “solutions training” courses that partners can take on the way to gaining those accreditations. They include topics as varied as SAP on AWS, migrating to AWS, AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials and Machine Learning on AWS. Read more about the available courses here.

AWS training courses can be done online while working from home, and take from two to six hours to complete. Accreditation courses take 3.5 hours. The virtual classroom environment allows partners to gain critical hands-on opportunities with the technology, as well as gain feedback from AWS-accredited instructors.

Additional training and support services

AWS also publishes a weekly series of webinars, the PartnerCast, that focus on AWS products and services and are free. Topics range from business-focused – for example, How to estimate your costs on AWS – to technical matters such as on-boarding and deploying various systems on AWS.

Organisations taking their first steps into the APN program can also access AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials Days, which are designed to help new partners grasp the fundamentals of AWS and enable them to begin working with their clients right away on AWS. From there, AWS has developed a series of ramp-up guides to rapidly enhance the expertise of partners on their way towards certification.

Training and certification is just one of the APN program partner resources that AWS provide, but its core to the success of the entire AWS environment. Through this, partners can deliver proven solutions to customers in a best practice manner with the full backing of AWS.

To learn more, click here.