The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies is fundamentally reshaping the global job market, demanding a workforce equipped with new and evolving skill sets. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, a staggering 60% of workers will need to be retrained by 2027 to remain competitive in the age of intelligent machines and cognitive computing.
In response to this growing skills gap, the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education (DoE) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have deepened their strategic collaboration. This partnership prioritizes upskilling both educators and students to meet the demands of the evolving digital landscape.
Upskilling Educators for the Classroom
Recognizing the need to equip teachers with the tools and knowledge to navigate these changes, AWS is providing resources and training programs to transform technology education across NSW classrooms. As UNESCO reports, over 90% of teachers haven’t received any training on how to use generative AI in school. In April 2024, the AWS Skills to Jobs team and the NSW DoE hosted an industry training day for over 70 vocational education and training (VET) educators.
The training event aimed to enhance educators’ industry expertise and equip them to integrate updated technology skills into their classrooms. The day incorporated a panel discussion from the NSW Digital Skills and Workforce Compact, highlighting the diverse career paths and opportunities within the burgeoning technology sector. The Compact is a collaborative initiative involving the NSW Government, the digital industry, and education and training partners, all working together to address digital workforce shortages.
The training’s relevance and engagement were enhanced through hands-on activities and curriculum-aligned content. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with 89% recommending the training to their fellow educators.
Expanding Work Placement Opportunities
The collaboration’s impact reaches beyond teacher upskilling, extending to the next generation of learners. Aligned with the NSW Public Education 2023 action plan, AWS supports students with career-related learning experiences, including the innovative VET Virtual Work Placement Program. Nearly 550 VET students from 164 schools across NSW gained practical experience in cloud computing through a 35-hour virtual placement.
Participating students earned industry credentials, explored potential career opportunities, and received over 50 hours of mentoring from AWS employees. Students gained expertise on the AWS Educate learning platform and attended seminars on subjects such as cybersecurity, generative AI, and data analytics.
Democratizing Access to Tech Careers
This virtual placement model has broadened access to meaningful tech career experiences for students throughout the state, including those in rural and remote areas who may have faced historical barriers to such opportunities. Liam Jones, a Year 12 student at Wilcannia Central School, noted, “As a remote student, accessing traditional in-person work placements in technology fields was virtually impossible for me. The AWS virtual program opened my eyes to the opportunities in cloud computing and data roles that I could pursue after graduating.”
Nine out of ten students highly recommended the virtual placement to others. Many expressed excitement and empowerment about exploring future career paths in cloud computing and other tech fields following their participation.
“We’ve seen the powerful impact this virtual work placement has in building career awareness and aspirations among students,” said Louise Stigwood, AWS director of enterprise for Australia and New Zealand. “AWS is committed to fostering the skills and empowering the next generation of cloud talent through programs like this.”
A Model for the Future of Workforce Development
This is the fourth consecutive year that AWS has conducted the VET Virtual Work Placement program in NSW. The continually evolving program is based on participant feedback each year. It demonstrates how private-public sector partnerships can effectively address the digital skills gap. By leveraging AWS’s expertise, the DoE delivers crucial work-integrated learning opportunities that would be difficult to achieve independently.
“Our collaboration with AWS allows us to prepare both our teachers and students for the cloud-enabled workforce of the future,” said Georgina Harrisson, Secretary of the NSW DoE. “We’re proud to lead the way in rethinking workforce development models for the digital age.”
The Next Iteration: AI Takes Center Stage
Building upon its success, the 2025 VET Virtual Work Placement program will place greater emphasis on AI and generative AI skills and applications. AWS plans to invite AWS Partners to offer students a more holistic perspective on the real-world impacts of AI across various industries.
“A recent AWS study found that 90 percent of employers envision becoming an AI-driven organisation by 2028,” said Stigwood. “Initiatives like our virtual work placement are critical for building the next generation’s capabilities in AI and adjacent disciplines like data, cloud, and cybersecurity.”
The collaboration between AWS and the NSW DoE serves as a clear example for the education sector on how to proactively address the digital skills deficit. This pioneering model empowers both educators and students with future-focused skills, ensuring that NSW is at the forefront of workforce development in the face of AI’s transformative potential.
