TCS accelerates cloud growth with AWS-trained entry-level talent

Global business and software services provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is rapidly scaling its cloud services operations to meet customer demand for innovative solutions. The company started working alongside Amazon Web Services (AWS) and founded its AWS Business Unit in 2020 to accelerate TCS’s digital transformation journey.

“Quality is something that we focus on closely,” says M Kalaa, entry-level talent acquisition leader at TCS. “Getting entry-level resources from the market who have AWS Certifications and Training helps us immediately deploy these trainees in AWS projects.”

TCS requires its entry-level associates to be AWS Certified before it deploys them to projects. Because of this entry criterion, it can take 2–3 months to deploy entry-level associates to projects after onboarding. TCS drastically reduced new-hire deployment time by working with AWS Education Programs to tap into a pool of entry-level, cloud-skilled talent.

Accelerating deployment timelines with AWS Academy graduates

TCS is no stranger to pressure hiring. The company, which employs over 614,000 people, had a net addition of more than 100,000 workers in fiscal year 2022. The company mandates that all its employees engage in continuous professional development and upskilling. The average TCS employee completes 121 hours of training, and over 19,000 are AWS Certified.

To meet client demand for cloud expertise and cost optimization, TCS strives to field a workforce that comprises a sizable number of AWS Certified graduates across its projects. However, when it comes to cloud projects, the company has found that university degrees often aren’t enough to prepare young talent for the workplace. That’s why TCS found immense value in hiring entry-level, cloud-skilled talent from AWS Academy, a program that empowers higher education institutions to prepare students for industry-recognized certifications and careers in the cloud.

Although trainees have little professional experience, TCS reports that those who have AWS Academy credentials are ready to jump into client projects from day one. In collaboration with university partners, TCS equips fresh graduates with relevant skills to confidently start cloud adoption programs via packaged training modules from AWS Academy. Because of the strong methodology and high quality of training, TCS reduces the time it takes to convert a new associate into a productive contributor who can meet customer needs and priorities. “We deploy entry-level associates as AWS developers, AWS engineers, DevOps engineers, data engineers, SysOps administrators, and more,” says Pallavi Rao, global delivery head of the banking and financial services AWS Business Unit at TCS. “They contribute to project delivery for various clients around the world.”

Using AWS Skill Builder, an online learning center for building in-demand cloud skills, TCS employees can master topics at their own pace. They can learn about AWS services, concepts, and terminology as well as refresh their knowledge about the basics when needed.

Advancing diversity goals with AWS Education Programs

In addition to saving time and money, TCS is making progress on its diversity targets with AWS Education Programs, which remove barriers to cloud skills training and prepare diverse learners for in-demand roles around the world. Working with AWS re/Start, a cohort-based workforce development training program that prepares unemployed or underemployed individuals for a career in the cloud, TCS is extending cloud employment opportunities to more such candidates. Women make up 35.7 percent of its global workforce. Through AWS re/Start, the company onboards women who are returning to professional life after career breaks. “The AWS re/Start program helps underemployed individuals switch their careers to cloud computing through scenario-based learning and hands-on labs,” says Rao. “We use AWS re/Start to hire qualified candidates.”

TCS also runs its Youth Employment Program, which trains students from primarily rural regions that might traditionally miss out on the opportunity to get cloud certifications. Now, it’s extending the program to the company’s AWS operations with AWS Training and Certification, which helps learners validate their cloud expertise with an industry-recognized credential. With this program, TCS is bringing opportunities to an even more diverse pool of talented individuals. In addition to advancing diversity goals, this initiative helps build a pipeline of qualified young professionals for TCS operations.

Building a foundation for innovation with AWS Education Programs

After seeing such rapid growth in its AWS Business Unit, TCS is ready for more. The company is also targeting to focus more on innovative solutions, such as generative artificial intelligence, machine learning, and 5G, using AWS Education Programs. “We are looking forward to enhancing the skills of our workforce using AWS Cloud–native services to achieve exponential growth in fiscal year 2024,” says Rao.

Interested in connecting with talent from AWS Education Programs? Learn more.