AWS’ Teresa Carlson on Four Must-Have Conditions to Address Digital Skills Gap

Teresa Carlson, vice president of the worldwide public sector and industries at Amazon Web Services and a six-time Wash100 awardee, wrote in an article published Wednesday on the World Economic Forum website that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated technology adoption and organizations seeking to benefit from technologies should “support the development of a workforce with digital skills.”

Carlson said there are four “must-have conditions” to help meet the need around skills development and build a future-ready workforce and one is equal access to skills training and education.

She said training programs should be accessible regardless of an individual’s background, social status or education. She cited AWS Educate and AWS Training and Certification as examples of training initiatives meant to help address gap in cloud skills.

The other three must-have conditions Carlson discussed are reliable internet access for all, collaboration between public and private sectors and commitment of leadership.

“The impact of skills training can be profound in helping workers stay competitive and also helping people pivot into new careers,” Carlson wrote. “By connecting individuals to opportunities to learn, we can create a pathway into jobs with more opportunity, higher wages, accelerated growth, and less vulnerability to sudden disruptions like COVID-19.”