BCIT Computing has taken to the skies, launching a new Cloud Computing Option in the Computer Systems Technology (CST) Diploma Program. Cloud curriculum was first introduced at BCIT a few years ago, but now students entering their second diploma year will have the opportunity to study these skills – for which demand is exploding – in a packaged “option” format.
In fact, Cloud and Distributed Computing recently topped LinkedIn’s list of global skills to get you hired in 2017, echoing previous calls such as the Information and Technology Council of Canada (ICTC) report, which appealed for more cloud talent in Canada.
Cloud computing is familiar as the on-demand, anywhere access, pay-as-you-go resources that have crept into our daily lives – our Dropbox, our Flickr. On the corporate side, the cloud enables organizations to store massive amounts of information as needed, without investing in their own costly data centres.
“Canada is about to have an explosion of demand for Cloud Computing services,” explains Dr. Bill Klug, Cloud Computing Option Head. “New Canadian-based data centres from Amazon and Microsoft will allow Canadian companies and organizations to benefit from the cloud – they were previously constrained by legislation that precluded them from using services that stored data in the US.”
Dr. Klug prepared for the launch of the option by going back into industry to shadow practitioners and see just how the cloud was benefiting local companies. He spent a term working with local industry leader Cloudreach, as profiled in their blog.
“Building these relationships provides value to both of us,” says Dr. Klug. “They know that they will get graduates that are properly trained for the work they will be doing right out of school, and we can tailor our curriculum to the kinds of skills needed.”
The new option will emphasize Amazon Web Services, the world’s leading cloud service provider, to give students depth of experience. Students will also learn various aspects of Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform because of unique features they bring to the public cloud marketplace.
CST students in the new option will become cloud architects, cloud engineers, and cloud developers. As Dr. Klug says, “there are so many great jobs going unfilled in this area in Vancouver, Toronto and other areas of Canada. I think the opportunities are currently endless.”
Thanks to Cynthia van Ginkel for this article.