Mission Cloud, a cloud-managed services provider and Amazon Web Services (AWS) Premier Tier Services Partner, launched Mission Cloud Evolution, a new program committed to cloud literacy and talent development. The initiative features robust full-time apprenticeship opportunities and partnerships with schools and community organizations.
While an increasing number of companies are growing in the cloud, students are not gaining the necessary training in their higher education courses to be successful in the cloud computing industry. Mission Cloud Evolution aims to bridge the talent skills gap by providing relevant training to current engineers and students alike. Additionally, Mission Cloud is seeking to promote inclusivity within the cloud industry to ensure that cloud computing does not follow the path of other technology sectors where people from diverse backgrounds have been locked out due to a lack of education and opportunity in these areas.
“The importance of cloud literacy cannot be understated given the emergence of remote and hybrid work and education environments,” said Karoline Saffi, Chief People Officer, Mission Cloud. “Empowering people now with the knowledge and resources needed to navigate the cloud will provide endless opportunities within the industry and for innovation. We see this as part of our duty as one of the nation’s leading cloud providers to help solve the talent void and with help from AWS, we do this at n****** to students. In fact, we pay them to enter our program.”
The seeds of Mission Cloud Evolution were planted three years ago with a job rotation program to help Mission Cloud team members develop technical skills. This eventually led to a part-time, paid internship in several departments before the company hired a Technical Training Program Manager to create a unique internship program.
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Spearheaded by Keri Barnett-Howell, Director of Talent Development at Mission Cloud, and supported by the company’s expertise, with 76% of employees holding an AWS certification, the program offers the following to current and prospective cloud industry workers:
Certification Sponsorship – Connecting with people, primarily students, interested in the cloud to provide paid study and AWS certification exam materials to help them get started.
Apprenticeships – A 6-month paid apprenticeship program, with benefits including healthcare, that develops students and career changers into cloud and DevOps engineers. At the conclusion of the program, apprentices are fully integrated into the company. In the future, Mission Cloud plans to expand the program to include application development and data, analytics, and machine learning apprenticeships.
Career Development – All Mission Cloud team members are provided access to a broad array of programs and activities to grow in their careers, including education, mentorship, and leadership opportunities.
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Technical Skill Expansion – Customized training and incentives for team members to improve their technical expertise.
“At Mission Cloud we pride ourselves on creating an environment where our current and future team members have all the tools necessary to grow within their careers and achieve their goals,” said Barnett-Howell. “Mission Cloud Evolution will play an integral role in expanding our talent pipeline, bridging the overall talent gap, and developing new and diverse talent within the cloud industry. Now is the time to lay the foundation for the future of cloud.”
Mission Cloud has partnered with several schools and organizations, including Santa Monica College, El Camino College, Los Angeles Mission College, Grand Canyon University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Rio Hondo College, California State University Channel Islands, and LA-Tech.org to promote cloud literacy under the Mission Cloud program. Through these partnerships, students are connected with engineering mentors and given the opportunity to participate in AWS cloud hackathons.
In addition to these existing partnerships, Mission Cloud will expand its network of potential apprentices by targeting organizations such as the VA, HBCU’s, and community colleges to grow its veteran presence and reach more diverse students.
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