AWS (Amazon Web Services) has launched a four-week paid pre-apprenticeship program in partnership with Bucks County Community College (BCCC) — the first of its kind in Pennsylvania — to prepare the workforce needed for the construction and operation of data centers and other information technology infrastructure.
The AWS Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship (I2PA) program delivers practical, hands-on training that prepares participants to explore careers that build, connect, power, and operate the infrastructure supporting the information economy. Industry experts, including subject matter experts from BCCC, cover vital workplace skills and foundational knowledge in electrical, mechanical, fiber-optic, and data center operations.
AWS chose BCCC to host the classes, taking place at the Center for Advanced Technologies at the College’s Epstein Campus at in Bristol. A full cohort of 22 students is training from March 30 to April 24.
“We’re thrilled to partner with AWS to help expose students to the systems and skills necessary to launch high-tech, high-demand careers in the information economy,” said Bucks County Community College President & CEO Patrick M. Jones.
At the end of the training, students will have earned several industry-required certificates, including AWS I2PA and OSHA 10. They will also have an opportunity to participate in a job fair, featuring hiring managers from companies looking for workers with these skills and credentials.
Last year, Amazon announced it is investing $20 billion — the largest capital investment in Commonwealth history — to build two “innovation campuses” in Pennsylvania, including one on the site of the former U.S. Steel property in Falls Township which will become the largest industrial park on the East Coast. The centers will build out cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure, Amazon said.
In addition to the AWS I2PA training, BCCC offers several workforce programs, including registered pre-apprenticeships in construction and manufacturing, and evening trades courses, all aligned with the skill demands of modern data center operations. More information is available at bucks.edu/tech-pathways.
