Beyond the classroom: Free AWS skills training is changing lives in India

This article highlights how AWS re/Start, a free workforce development program, is addressing India's youth unemployment crisis by providing cloud and AI training to underemployed and unemployed learners.

• AWS re/Start offers 8–12 week cohort-based training for entry-level roles in cloud, AI, infrastructure, and operations
• Program reached 10,000 successful job outcomes in India in 2026, with graduates gaining AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification
• Operates through 150+ collaborating organizations across 70+ countries, recruiting and supporting learners from non-metropolitan areas
• Provides hands-on training, certification prep, and career readiness support including interview coaching and resume development
• Case study: Prajwal from rural Maharashtra secured a global technology role, enabling his mother to leave construction work

AWS re/Start demonstrates how employment-linked skilling programs delivered through community organizations can create intergenerational economic mobility and bridge the gap between education and job market demands.