As new technologies like artificial intelligence and creative cybersecurity explode in the wake of the data revolution, the tech industry’s talent gap is steadily widening. A predicted 2 million cybersecurity roles will go unfulfilled by 2019 due to a lack of education, as well as the absence of diverse talent encouraged in the field.

In order to address these issues and support the many businesses looking to modernize, Amazon Web Services Inc. and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. have partnered with community colleges to implement the California Cloud Workforce Project statewide.

“Millions of businesses in California are looking to take advantage of the exciting tools and resources available to them in the cloud, but they need skilled workers to help migrate,” said Bill Allen (pictured), president and chief executive officer of Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. “That’s what our community colleges are stepping up to provide with the help of Amazon Web Services and AWS Educate.”

Allen spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the AWS Imagine: A Better World event in Seattle, Washington. They discussed the new program and its impact on students, as well as the California tech community.

Creating pathways for tech careers

The California Cloud Workforce Project began as research through the LA EDC to study the evolving demand for labor and skills in various local industry sectors and enhance the talent development pipeline. That effort resulted in the development of new cloud computing curriculums in 19 colleges that quickly became popular with students.

“The first program we launched at Santa Monica College had two sections that rapidly sold out. More than 300 students participate in the first year of courses; 230 are signed up for this fall 2018,” Allen said.

The booming tech sector in Los Angeles has propelled the program’s success among students eager to find work in the field. “There’s so much need for data scientists, machine learning capabilities, basic cloud computing, cybersecurity. Our job is to share that knowledge with our institutions so they can adjust curriculum to create pathways of learning at the earliest ages and throughout the career development pipeline in the LA area,” Allen stated.

The program is also bolstering industry diversity efforts by encouraging students from a variety of backgrounds to pursue tech careers.

“We have a very diverse population in Los Angeles, and many of our communities have been underrepresented historically in the technology fields. They are really interested in accessing the skills and opportunities and taking up these courses with enthusiasm. I think it’s going to help us in Los Angeles really diversify our technology workforce,” Allen said.

The LA EDC and AWS partnership is one that will continue to benefit tech and the Los Angeles community as more students have access to the program’s opportunities, Allen pointed out.

“Amazon and the AWS Educate initiative have been terrific partners and are really lighting the path for other major employers in our region. The students who graduate with this program will not only be valuable to Amazon itself, but so many of its customers who are migrating to the cloud platform,” Allen concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the AWS Imagine: A Better World event.

Photo: SiliconANGLE