Black Orlando Tech to launch free AWS and Salesforce courses

The nonprofit Black Orlando Tech announced Oct. 2 that its new on-demand workforce training program will launch Nov. 6. 

Better yet, businesses looking to beef up their staff’s knowledge of cloud computing, Salesforce or both will be glad to learn the two online classes are free of charge. 

“The courses cover all the topics needed to pass a certification exam and reflects the latest Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Salesforce features,” said Black Orlando Tech co-founder Joshua Walker, a cloud solutions architect at Deloitte and creator of the cloud class alongside Black Orlando Tech President Tiffany Spencer, who was the architect behind the Salesforce course. 

Walker described the classes as engaging, incorporating interactive learning methods like video lectures and hands-on labs. To prevent dropouts, the courses have deadlines, track progress, support participants through email, forums and live chats. Because individual course data is shared with Black Orlando Tech leadership, the team can identify areas in which participants need help and can provide feedback to them. 

Each class has 30 modules totaling about 13.5 hours of content and are self-paced. They take about a month to complete. 

On the open market, similar courses cost $500-$3,000 or more but Black Orlando Tech is offering them for free, thanks to money the group got from Orange County — a piece of the Orange County Economic Stimulus Strategy Grant that came out of the federal American Rescue Plan.  

Choosing subject matter for courses came easily, with the global cloud computing market expected to reach $482 billion by 2025 and Salesforce owning 19.5% of the customer relationship management software market, said Walker. Given how rapidly platforms and technologies evolve, area companies may benefit from easy-access programs.

Meanwhile, Black Orlando Tech’s internal resources were a match for the demands of the course development project, which has been a work in progress through much of 2023. “None of the work was outsourced — all of it was developed by our board and committees,” Walker said. 

In addition to attracting local businesses, courses also may appeal to individuals looking to advance or change jobs, as there is growing demand for cloud computing and Salesforce skills, driving up salaries for workers in these fields, he said. 

The average salary in Orlando for a cloud computing expert is $128,503, according to Salary.com. For a Salesforce administrator, it’s $98,733, according to Indeed.com. 

Black Orlando Tech

For more stories like this one, sign up here for Orlando Inno newsletters from the Orlando Business Journal and the American Inno network. And be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter).