September 13, 2024 2:19 PM
How AWS is investing in Virginia through Fiber Optics training programs
To meet the growing demand for cloud infrastructure talent in Virginia, while also investing in the local community, the AWS Workforce Development Team has collaborated with Laurel Ridge Community College and the Virginia Community College System to build a new Fiber Optic Installer (FOI) program for the next generation of skilled data technicians.
Fiber optic installers are professionals who specialize in installing, maintaining, and repairing fiber optic cables used for telecommunications, internet, and other data transmission systems. Through a series of labs and coursework, students will get the training needed to earn a family-sustaining income, and as their career progresses, they will be on a path to increase their earning potential.
“AWS has a long history with building infrastructure in Virginia and AWS has invested $63.9 billion into the Commonwealth through our infrastructure investments since 2011,” said Chris Affrunti, AWS director of workforce development. “AWS relies on the support of more than 100 Virginia businesses to build and operate our data centers and supports 16,600 jobs annually in the Commonwealth. We are committed to Virginia’s growth by providing accessible opportunities to develop skills and local jobs that can support families.”
Prior to the program launch, Laurel Ridge hosted a Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing micro course, hosted by AWS and Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, to garner interest in FOI. Chris Funk, a member of the community looking to re-enter the workforce, was introduced to the fiber optic certificate program and the micro course in August. He eagerly attended the course; and after completing the half-day workshop, he is excited about the new FOI training program and wants to pursue a career in Fiber Optics.
Laurel Ridge is launching its first FOI program on October 14, providing a flexible option for recent high school graduates, or community members looking to switch careers or re-enter the workforce in a rapidly growing field. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply here.
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May 20, 2024 12:30 PM
AWS data center tech lead returns to his Mississippi home state with some career coaching advice
Kevin Heard is returning to his home state Mississippi, not only as a local sports legend, but also a data center technician lead specialist at AWS. And while there is plenty of talk of his football career, it’s finding a place in the tech world at AWS that Heard now wants to help coach his fellow Mississippians on.
Right to Left: Kevin Heard, AWS data center tech specialist, U.S. representative Bennie Thompson, Kevin Miller, AWS vice president of global data centers, Duane Matthews, Mississippi data center cluster lead; and Olivia Igbokwe, AWS Federal Policy lead.At a groundbreaking event with over 300 leaders celebrating AWS’s planned $10 billion investment to build two data centers in Mississippi, Heard spoke about the economic growth and career opportunities coming to the Magnolia State. Heard has been living in Oregon for nearly a decade, and works at one of AWS’s data centers in eastern Oregon.
“AWS coming to Mississippi is one of the best things that could’ve happened,” said Heard. “The people of Mississippi will have opportunities to work in the tech industry and gain experience, and that’s exciting.”
Heard grew up in Eupora, Mississippi and attended Holmes Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi on a full football and track and field scholarship. After solidifying his collegiate legacy as an elite athlete, which included local legendary status of his ability to jump over cars, Kevin continued with his sports career and played professional indoor football for 10 years with the Tri-Cities Fever in Kennewick, Washington.
Following his retirement in sports, Heard was hired at AWS, received on-the-job training, and quickly gained experience in data center operations and in his fiber optics installation role. Heard currently leads the AWS infrastructure delivery deployment team, which ensures fiber networks are operational for customers and troubleshooting any foreseeable issues.
“I never imagined my career transitioning from sports to the tech industry,” Heard said. But Heard’s sports achievements and experience in coaching impacts his work daily. His professional football career taught him leadership skills, collaboration, communication, and resilience—qualities that now help him with leading his teammates, training colleagues, and delivering results.
AWS’s planned investment in Mississippi is projected to create at least 1,000 new jobs. Heard is excited about the emerging tech industry, and encourages Mississippi residents to apply for AWS data center operations roles to explore new opportunities.
“Just apply and jump outside your comfort zone,” said Heard. “A person doesn’t need a lot of tech experience to work at an AWS data center, and AWS will provide all the training for a person to be successful.”
Lean more about career and training opportunities at AWS. Discover how data centers can impact local communities.
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May 7, 2024 8:30 AM
AWS, Arbor Day Foundation, and eastern Oregon communities unite for Arbor Day tree planting
To celebrate Arbor Day this year, Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Arbor Day Foundation, and the communities of Boardman, Umatilla, and Hermiston in eastern Oregon came together for a local tree planting initiative. Nearly 200 trees were planted across the region, with another 400 scheduled to be added over the coming weeks, to enhance the local tree canopy and biodiversity.
The initiative was driven by AWS InCommunities based on feedback from community members, local parks and recreation organizations, and AWS employees in the area, who expressed the importance of a healthy tree canopy for providing shade, beautifying public spaces, and supporting local ecosystems.
"We were thrilled when AWS and Arbor Day Foundation approached us about a tree planting initiative," said Dave Stockdale, city manager for the city of Umatilla. "Umatilla takes great pride in cultivating and maintaining trees that enhance our community's landscape. This Arbor Day celebration allowed us to highlight the positive impact trees have on our environment and public spaces."
In Umatilla, the planting of over 40 trees along the main 6th Avenue thoroughfare will help revitalize the downtown core, replacing trees that had previously died due to harsh weather conditions or lack of water. Trees were also planted at local parks including Hash Park in Umatilla, the newly established Horizon Park in Hermiston, and City Hall Park as well as Marina Park in Boardman. In Boardman, trees were also distributed to local schools and will continue to be planted in a variety of public spaces in the coming weeks.
As part of this initiative, the Arbor Day Foundation will continue to work with the community to provide ongoing maintenance for the newly planted trees over the next two years to ensure their survival and growth.
"At AWS, we strive to be good neighbors and support initiatives that benefit our local communities," said Paul Butler, community engagement manager for AWS InCommunities. "Through this effort, we're proud to play a small part in helping create a healthy urban tree canopy in Hermiston, Boardman, and Umatilla. We are exploring program expansion opportunities in eastern Oregon and other AWS communities, as part of our commitment to being good neighbors and community partners."
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March 20, 2024 10:30 AM
AWS donates $500,000 to support the Northern Virginia Science Center's Launch the Future Campaign
A rendering of the Northern Virginia Science Center's upcoming Habitat Theater and Science on a Sphere® exhibit.Amazon Web Services (AWS) has become the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation's newest Principal Partner of the Launch the Future campaign—joining a broad public-private collaboration to build a new world-class science center in Northern Virginia. AWS InCommunities’ $500,000 donation will sponsor the Habitat Theater and Science on a Sphere® exhibit at the future museum, slated to open later this year.
The new museum, to be in the Dulles Technology Corridor at the Kincora property, will be a place for discovery, innovation, and fun for curious minds of all ages.
“We are profoundly grateful to everyone who has contributed to this transformational effort to create this educational resource for our community,” said Nene Spivy, executive director of the foundation. “It is our collective responsibility to develop resources that fuel our future technology workforce. This extraordinary collaboration with AWS and the many other public and private partners to create the Northern Virginia Science Center will enable exponential growth in STEM resources for families and schools in our region.”
The AWS InCommunities contribution will sponsor the Habitat Theater, including the Science on a Sphere® digital display, which was recently unveiled at an event at Amazon’s HQ2. This sponsorship represents an expansion of AWS InCommunities ongoing support of the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation and STEM education in Virginia.
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March 19, 2024 2:45 PM
AWS commits $400,000 to support local causes in Caroline, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Louisa counties in Virginia
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced that it is launching two AWS InCommunities Funds to support local projects in Caroline, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Louisa counties in Virginia. AWS has committed $400,000 between the two funds to support local causes. Local community groups, schools, non-profits, and other organizations are invited to apply starting April 1, 2024.
The launch was announced at the recent event at Germanna Community College, marking its $35 billion-dollar investment in new data centers in the four counties. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater, Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System Dr. David Dore, Germanna Community College President Dr. Janet Gullickson, and other state and local elected officials attended.
“As we continue to grow our presence in Virginia, our focus is to not only bring economic benefits through our investments and the jobs we create, but to also support important local initiatives and empower communities with skills development programs,” said Shannon Kellogg, VP of public policy for AWS in the Americas. “The launch of these community funds is the first of a series of community outreach programs that AWS will launch in these, and other counties, as part of our continued investment in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Through the funds, AWS will support organizations with grants up to $10,000 to support new and existing community projects, focused on one of the following themes: STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education, environmental sustainability, and cultural heritage preservation. Organizations can also apply for funding to introduce community programs that have been successful in other communities across the world.
The AWS InCommunities Funds will accept applications from April 1 through June 1, 2024. The Funds will be managed and administered by nonprofit organization ChangeX. ChangeX will evaluate the projects' positive impact on the community, with a focus on prioritizing projects that are designed to support Virginia's underserved populations.
To apply to one of the AWS InCommunities Funds, and for more information, including details about upcoming information sessions, access the ChangeX platform by visiting the AWS InCommunities Fredericksburg Region Fund or the AWS InCommunities Louisa County Fund page.
These new community funds are part of AWS's longstanding commitment to Virginia. AWS has launched a series of local programs including STEAM education programs for school age children through programs such as AWS Think Big Spaces, educational labs designed to inspire a passion for STEAM disciplines. It has also launched workforce development initiatives to help provide free tech skills training through no-cost programs such as the AWS Fiber Optic Fusion Splicing Certification Course. And, through its employee engagement programs, AWS employees contributed more than 4,000 volunteer hours to local organizations throughout 2023.
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February 9, 2024 12:00 PM
Amazon renewable energy commitments will bring clean power to eastern Oregon
Amazon Wind Farm Oregon–Leaning Juniper IIAPhoto by AvangridAmazon is bringing more clean energy to eastern Oregon communities with a $1.2 million contribution to fund a community solar energy program.
Amazon has long been committed to Oregon, investing over $28 billion into the state since 2010. We first established our presence in eastern Oregon over a decade ago when we began constructing and operating Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in Morrow and Umatilla counties. These investments have had a positive ripple effect on the state economy and local communities. For example, they are supporting small businesses and job creation, developing educational programs, and setting up sustainability initiatives to drive positive change.
Amazon is committed to building a sustainable business and reaching net-zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2040 as part of our Climate Pledge commitment. In support of that commitment, Amazon is announcing two renewable energy investments in eastern Oregon.
To bring more clean energy to eastern Oregon communities, Amazon is contributing $1.2 million to the nonprofit GRID Alternatives to fund a community solar energy program. The contribution will support the installation of up to 10 solar photovoltaic systems on rooftops of nonprofit organizations, food banks and other community buildings across Morrow and Umatilla counties. Installation of the solar systems is expected to begin in June, and will take approximately five months to complete.
Amazon Wind Farm Oregon–Leaning Juniper IIAPhoto by AvangridAmazon is also announcing its first utility-scale renewable energy investment in Oregon, committing to purchase more than 200,000-megawatt hours (MWh) of clean power each year from a Gilliam County-based 90-megawatt (MW) capacity wind farm, Amazon Wind Farm Oregon–Leaning Juniper IIA.
“Amazon has a long-term commitment to the state of Oregon, which includes helping to bring more renewable energy to the grid. Our work with GRID Alternatives will help expand access to renewable energy to eastern Oregon communities, and we’re excited to make that happen,” said Abhishek Sharma, head of energy strategy, AWS. “Our first wind farm investment in Oregon adds to the 2 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity Amazon has already enabled across the western U.S. grid. This has contributed to Amazon being the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for four years running and will help Amazon remain on a path to utilizing 100% renewable energy for the electricity powering its operations by 2025.”
Amazon’s investment in the Gilliam County wind farm will enable its operator Avangrid to expand the project’s capacity by replacing older wind turbine blades and equipment with modern technology, allowing for more efficient production of wind energy. We expect these upgrades will enable the wind farm to produce enough clean energy to power the equivalent of more than 22,000 U.S. homes each year. This investment builds on Amazon’s 2023 announcement to work with local utilities to power AWS data centers in eastern Oregon with clean energy.
"Umatilla County is a diverse, young, vibrant and growing community that values forward thinking. Amazon has not only been a great partner in the growth and development of Umatilla County, they have embraced a goal to power their operations with 100% renewable energy, including its data center operations. This is an actionable and achievable goal that Amazon is demonstrating clear progress toward, and Umatilla County is pleased to collaborate, partner, and participate in. Umatilla County residents enjoy a strong and positive relationship with Amazon which constitutes sustainable growth into the future," said Umatilla County Commissioner Dan Dorran.
“Morrow County welcomes AWS’s efforts establishing clean renewable energy usage here. These actions demonstrate their continued effort to be a good corporate partner with our county,” Morrow County Commissioner David Sykes said.
“As the state of Oregon continues on its clean energy transition, commitments such as these from Amazon are a positive step in the right direction,” said Tim Miller, Executive Director, Oregon Business for Climate. “Oregon urgently needs to bring more clean energy resources like wind and solar online to create a cleaner electricity grid.”
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