The Business + Higher Education Roundtable is pleased to welcome Amazon Web Services (AWS) to our growing membership.

Like BHER, AWS is committed to accessible education, work-integrated learning (WIL), upskilling, and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the benefit of all Canadians. 

Their goal is to democratize technology and boost innovation by enabling everyone, from the biggest institutions to the smallest businesses, to have access to the same tools and the skills to use them. 

To this end, they collaborate with post-secondary institutions—including many BHER members, such as Algonquin College, BCIT, Dalhousie University, NAIT, SAIT, York University and more—to deliver courses on cloud computing. They have invested in the Cloud Innovation Centre at UBC, which provides students with hands-on WIL opportunities to solve real-world community health challenges. On upskilling, AWS created the re/Start training program for learners seeking to up- or re-skill in cloud computing, with a focus on supporting underrepresented groups.

AWS’ new  “AI Ready” initiative, designed to provide AI skills training, dovetails with ongoing conversations that BHER’s members are having. AWS will host BHER’s next Members’ Meeting, where leaders from the post-secondary and business sectors will discuss how to navigate the tech adoption, skills needs, and workforce implications of the AI revolution. 

“As artificial intelligence reshapes how we learn, work, and do business, AI training has never been more essential,” says Eric Gales, Managing Director of AWS Canada. “AWS is honoured to join BHER and help students, researchers, and businesses build the skills to succeed in a marketplace that’s increasingly AI-driven. We look forward to working together to achieve our shared goals.”

BHER’s CEO Val Walker says, “AWS is hitting the ground running by joining BHER’s membership, hosting our next Members’ Meeting, and helping us advance the AI conversation. Eric and his team at AWS are the kind of engaged, collaborative industry members that help make BHER what it is. We’re excited to welcome AWS to our membership and look forward to working together to strengthen skills, talent, and innovation in Canada.”