Reach for the Cloud: Building an Industry-Aligned Pathway to Careers in Cloud Computing (CLOUD)
Building an Academic Pathway for Careers in Cloud Computing
Columbus State Community College, in collaboration with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Amazon Web Services (AWS), industry partners, and regional high schools, will establish a career pathway in cloud computing that aligns to the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification.
With industry input, each institution will develop an expanded curriculum in cloud computing, to include a foundational certificate for incumbent workers. The expanded curriculum will be developed with the goal of providing students the opportunity to obtain AWS certifications that are highly recognizable and valued in the workforce.
Along with the new curriculum, the project will develop a Cloud Literacy Initiative and a Professional Development Community of Practice to increase awareness and share best practices in cloud education and career development. Finally, the project will seek to serve underrepresented populations, specifically veterans, by developing an outreach plan that attracts active and former military into cloud technology and associated career pathways.
Project Objectives:
- To establish and expand collaboration between two leading community colleges in technology, resulting in a model for expanded cloud technician pathway integrating cloud computing and targeted initiatives for underserved populations, including veterans.
- To create new foundational curriculum at both institutions that leads to a Cloud Fundamentals credential.
- To enhance existing technology curriculum content to create an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree with specialization in cloud computing.
- To develop a Cloud Literacy curriculum to prepare high school dual-credit students and entry-level community college students for cloud technology, allowing for delivery via project-based learning courses
Project Deliverables:
- Collaboratively and industry-led curriculum in cloud computing including foundational courses leading to the Cloud Fundamentals Certification, stackable towards an AAS degree with cloud specialization
- Cloud Literacy Initiative to facilitate the pipeline from high school to community college. NOVA will lead this deliverable.
- Professional development community of practice for high school and community college faculty to share best practices for cloud credential mapping and educator training. Columbus State will lead this deliverable.
- Collaboratively led Veteran Outreach Plan to attract active and former military into the cloud technology program
What is ATE?
The Reach for the Cloud: Building an Industry-Aligned Pathway to Careers in Cloud Computing project is being funded by a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Grant (DUE 1800988). With an emphasis on two-year colleges, Advanced Technological Education program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions and industry to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions; and other activities.