Amazon Web Services and Udacity are partnering to offer free services to educate developers of all skill levels on machine learning (ML) concepts with the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Scholarship program. The program offers free enrollment to the AWS Machine Learning Foundations course and 325 scholarships awarded to the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree, a $2,000 USD value, powered through Udacity.
Machine learning will not only change the way we work and live, but also open pathways to millions of new jobs, with the World Economic Forum estimating 97 million new roles may be created by 2025 in AI and ML. Gaining access to the job-ready skills to break into an ML career encounters high cost to traditional education and rigorous content, with a lack of real-world application from theory into practice. AWS is invested in addressing these challenges by providing free educational content and hands-on learning, such as exploring reinforcement learning concepts with AWS DeepRacer, as well as a community of learner support with technical experts and like-minded peers.
“The AWS Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree Program gave me a solid footing in understanding the foundational building blocks of Machine Learning workflows,” said Jikmyan Mangut Sunday, AWS Machine Learning Scholarship Alumni. “This shaped my knowledge of the fundamental concepts in building state-of-the-art Machine Learning models. Udacity curated learning materials that were easy to grasp and applicable to every field of endeavor, my learning experience was challenging and fun-filled.”
AWS is also collaborating with Girls in Tech and National Society for Black Engineers, to provide scholarships to women and underrepresented groups in tech. Organizations like these aims to inspire, support, train, and empower people from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in tech. In partnership, AWS will aid in providing access and resources to programs such as the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Scholarship Program to increase the diversity and talent in technical roles.
“Tech needs representation from women, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities in every aspect of our industry,” says Adriana Gascoigne, founder and CEO of Girls in Tech. “Girls in Tech applauds our collaborator AWS, as well as Udacity, for breaking down the barriers that so often leave women behind in tech. Together, we aim to give everyone a seat at the table.”
Open pathways to new career opportunities
Learners in the program are able to apply theory into hands on application to a suite of AWS ML services including AWS DeepRacer, Amazon SageMaker, and AWS DeepComposer. As many struggle to get started with machine learning, the scholarship program provides easy to learn, self-paced modules to provide the flexibility at a self-guided pace. Throughout the course journey, learners will have access to a supportive online community for technical assistance through Udacity tutors.
“Before taking the program, the many tools provided by AWS seemed frustrating but now I have a good grasp of them. I learned how to organize my code and work in a professional setting,” said Kariem Gazer AWS Machine Learning Scholarship Alumni. “The organized modules, follow up quizzes, and personalized feedback all made the learning experience smoother and concrete.”
Gain ML skills beyond the classroom
The AWS Machine Learning Engineer Scholarship program is open to all developers interested in expanding their ML skills and expertise through AWS curated content and services. Applicants 18 years of age or older are invited to register for the program. All applicants will have immediate classroom access to the free AWS ML Foundations course upon application completion.
Phase 1: AWS Machine Learning Foundations Course
- Learn object-oriented programming skills, including writing clean and modularized code and understanding the fundamental aspects of ML.
- Learn reinforcement learning with AWS DeepRacer and generative AI with AWS DeepComposer.
- Take advantage of support through the Discourse Tech community with technical moderators.
- Receive a certificate for course completion and take an online assessment quiz to receive a full scholarship to the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program.
- Dedicate 3–5 hours a week on the course and work towards earning one of the follow-up Nanodegree program scholarships.
Phase 2: Full scholarship to the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Udacity Nanodegree ($2,000 USD value)
- Learn advanced ML techniques and algorithms, including how to package and deploy your models to a production environment.
- Acquire practical experience such as using Amazon SageMaker to prepare you for a career in ML.
- Take advantage of community support through a learner connect program for technical assistance and learner engagement.
- Dedicate 5–10 hours a week on the course to earn an Udacity Nanodegree certificate.
Program dates
June 21, 2022 Scholarship applications open and students are automatically enrolled in the AWS Machine Learning Foundations Course (Phase 1)
| July 21, 2022 | Scholarship applications close |
| November 23, 2022 | AWS Machine Learning Foundations Course (Phase 1) ends |
| December 6, 2022 | AWS Machine Learning Engineer Scholarship winners announced |
| December 8, 2022 | AWS Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree (Phase 2) opens |
| March 22, 2023 | AWS Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree (Phase 2) closes |
Connect with the ML community and take the next step
Connect with experts and like-minded aspiring ML developers on the AWS Machine Learning Discord and enroll today in the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Scholarship program.
About the Author
Anastacia Padilla is a Product Marketing Manager for AWS AI & ML Education. She spends her time building and evangelizing offerings for the aspiring ML developer community to upskill students and underrepresented groups in tech. She is focused on democratizing AI & ML education to be accessible to all who want to learn.