While there are too many to count, one notably great thing about a human life is its openness to becoming better over time. This particular feature has allowed us the space to keep enhancing our living experience under one capacity or the other, and when that’s really your ultimate reality, you also set yourself to hit upon some significant milestones along the way. However, despite the sheer size of these milestones, we are still yet to achieve anything bigger than technology. The reason why technology stands a cut above the rest is predicated upon various different factors. We, of course, start with its unprecedented skill-set, but beyond that, we must also acknowledge the way those skills were used, as that’s really what paved the road for it have a spectrum-wide presence. Nevertheless, even after getting to such a monumental feat, the creation will continue to make all the right noises. The same is reflected clearly across some recent developments, and if anything, AWS’ latest move should only solidify that testimony moving forward.
Amazon Web Services has officially launched a new premium subscription feature for people and specialized teams that are looking to scale up their cloud computing skills. As per certain reports, the subscription service is a part of the division’s AWS Skill Builder product, which up until now, was just an online learning center featuring hundreds of free cloud computing courses. Mind you, the users can still access the basic training plan for free, but the rest of the offerings are set to be monetized. Talk about potential costs in play here, individual subscriptions are understood to carry a monthly charge of $29, while an yearly plan will put you back by $299. Both the packages will get you all the standard coursework, few practical tools like “builder labs”, and a crack at three practice exams for those who plan on enrolling into AWS Certification program. As for team subscriptions, they are priced at $499/per year for each learner, with high-volume discounts available. Here, you’ll have a host of enterprise-focused features such as the ability to assign training exercises, progress reports and integration with a company’s single sign-on (SSO) provider.
“AWS Cloud Quest and AWS Educate intentionally move away from passive content. We want to make abstract cloud computing concepts real through interactive and hands-on activities that immediately let learners turn theory into practice,” said Kevin Kelly, director of Cloud Career Training Programs at AWS. “These two offerings help individuals grow their skills and employability. We’re continuing to innovate how learners can build their cloud knowledge and practical skills, meeting them where they are and bringing knowledge within anyone’s reach by making these programs free.”
AWS is not really the first cloud services provider to monetize training courses of this sort. Last year, Google introduced Google Cloud Skills Boost, which boasts a framework similar to what AWS is offering, and assuming the trend pays off, they won’t be the last companies to do so.