AWS Academy for Nationals 2025

Overview

AWS Academy is a dedicated online learning platform that provides students and educators with access to high-quality AWS training materials. As part of Skills53, participants in the national championships can receive free access to the following courses designed to help them prepare for the competition and enhance their cloud computing skills:

• AWS Academy Cloud Architecting
• AWS Academy Learner Lab

These resources are provided at no cost and do not require any credit card information.

What AWS Academy Offers

AWS Academy Cloud Architecting

This course is ideal for participants who want a deep dive into AWS services and cloud architecture. It provides comprehensive training on designing and implementing scalable, secure, and highly available solutions on AWS.

• What’s Included:
  • Video tutorials and interactive lessons.
  • Hands-on labs to practice using AWS services in real-world scenarios.
  • A final lab exam to assess your understanding and reinforce what you’ve learned.
• What to Expect:
  • You’ll cover advanced topics such as compute, storage, networking, databases, security, and automation.

AWS Academy Learner Lab

This course offers a free sandbox environment to explore AWS services independently. It’s perfect for participants who prefer self-paced learning or want to practice with real AWS infrastructure.

• What’s Included:
  • $50 in AWS credits for exploring and testing cloud services.
  • A safe environment to experiment with AWS services without needing a credit card.

Training Opportunities

Skills53 participants can access the AWS Academy Cloud Architecting course. Registration is automatic, and you will receive an invitation for the course before the competition. Enrollment is optional, and participants can decide whether to take the course.

Course Content Summary

The AWS Academy Cloud Architecting course includes the following categories:

1. Foundational Concepts

   • Course Overview
   • Roles in Cloud Computing
   • AWS Well Architected Framework

2. Core AWS Services

   • Compute (Amazon EC2)
   • Storage (Amazon S3)
   • Databases (Amazon RDS, DynamoDB)
   • Networking (VPC, VPN, Direct Connect)

3. Advanced Architecting

   • High Availability and Elasticity
   • Automation with AWS CloudFormation
   • Serverless Architectures (AWS Lambda, API Gateway)

4. Specialized Topics

   • Disaster Recovery
   • Caching (Amazon CloudFront)
   • Decoupled Architectures (Amazon SQS, SNS)

Key Differences from Regional Training

• Depth of Content: The Cloud Architecting course dives deeper into AWS services and advanced topics compared to the foundational courses offered for regionals.
• Hands-On Labs: The labs are more complex and designed to simulate real-world scenarios, offering a more challenging and enriching experience.

FAQs

Do I need to pay for these courses? No, both courses are completely free. They include all materials and credits at no cost to you.

What happens if I only accept one invite? You’ll only have access to the course you accepted. Make sure to accept both invitations to get full access.

Are these courses required to compete? Not strictly, but they are recommended for a better chance at scoring your best possible result. The courses help you become familiar with AWS and provide excellent preparation for the tasks you may encounter.

Maximizing Your Training

Here are a few tips to make the most of your AWS Academy courses:

• Start with AWS Academy Cloud Architecting to gain in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience.
• Use the AWS Academy Learner Lab to reinforce your skills by practicing scenarios similar to the competition.
• Take notes and screenshots during your practice to refer back to during the competition.