Telefónica Tech Drives Digital Transformation with AWS Training Partner Skillsoft Global Knowledge

Founded in 1924, Telefónica is a global telco company that provides telephone, broadband, and internet services in more than 20 countries across Europe, Latin America, and the United States. In 2019, Telefónica created Telefónica Tech, a tech solution provider that advises and supports organizations throughout their digital transformation. Telefónica Tech’s portfolio covers a wide range of services and integrated technological solutions in cloud, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to accompany its customers on their digital transformation journeys. Telefónica Tech has more than 6,000 technological experts from more than 60 nationalities, and it became an AWS Partner in 2018.

Telefónica Tech wanted to expand its capabilities and increase cloud revenue by 10 times within 5 years through professional services. To achieve additional AWS Competencies, the company developed a 5-year strategy centered on comprehensive team training. “Our plan was to introduce AWS knowledge to our business, product, and sales teams,” says Rosany Silva, partner development manager for AWS at Telefónica Tech. “The important thing for our teams was to have in-depth information about AWS so that our customers could migrate to the cloud with deep knowledge.”

Telefónica Tech needed employees with specialized skills to reach each milestone on its digital transformation road map. As an AWS Partner, Telefónica Tech’s first choice for a training solution was AWS Training and Certification. It began two projects in 2022: training existing employees in the recent AWS Cloud technologies and creating a program to hire and train entry-level talent in basic cloud competencies.

To drive cloud business growth and digital transformation, Telefónica Tech worked alongside AWS to construct an internal learning path for each team and created a specialized AWS center of competence within the company to help employees achieve AWS Certifications and AWS Partner Accreditations. It offered flexible courses and training tailored to the specific needs of each employee. Thus, nearly 80 percent of its workforce earned over 400 AWS Certifications and more than 800 AWS Partner Accreditations.

After cloud training, Telefónica Tech became more specialized, and its staff became better prepared to take on new projects. “Building our knowledge base by working with AWS Training and Certification, we can help our customers at virtually any stage of their transformation process,” says Silva.

Telefónica Tech launched an AWS Cloud Camp, known as Escuela 42, to create new pools of cloud talent in Spain and deliver a positive community impact. This project was a collaboration with Skillsoft Global Knowledge, a long-term training provider for Telefónica. Skillsoft Global Knowledge has been an AWS Authorized Training Partner since 2014, assisting partners and clients with programs that facilitate job placement for students and empower early-career success. The experience that Skillsoft Global Knowledge offered made it a natural choice for Telefónica to help it develop the Escuela 42 program.

Escuela 42 is an ambitious and successful project of Fundación Telefónica, a foundation that promotes digital projects that aim for a fairer and more inclusive society. Originating in Paris, France, Escuela 42 is now present in more than 20 countries, with four campuses in Spain. “The main part of this project was the people at AWS and Skillsoft Global Knowledge,” says Silva. “Working alongside them, we managed to launch and deliver the program successfully.”

Escuela 42 is a specialized, free-to-attend boot camp designed to give selected students the opportunity to become AWS Certified. “We wanted to develop new talent in the market,” says Inma Castellanos, director of communications at acens, part of Telefónica Tech. “These new technologies are growing so fast that we need more cloud engineers.” Through this program, students gain greater access to jobs in the tech industry.

The program bridges the cloud-skills gap by offering a unique learning path that blends digital training with AWS Classroom Training. “We are teaching people how to learn in a different way,” says Patricia Ibanez, sales leader for Skillsoft Global Knowledge Spain. “Telefónica Tech’s blended learning approach offers the tools that students need to succeed.”

Though many candidates came into the 2-month program with little or no cloud experience, some learners achieved both AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate certifications. Telefónica Tech sees its AWS Cloud Camp as a huge success that has also demonstrated the quality of the students who participated. After the program, Telefónica Tech invited the outstanding AWS Cloud Camp graduates to join its team.

Telefónica Tech estimates that it gained 30 percent more new sales opportunities, compared with the previous year, and achieved 28 percent year-over-year growth in revenue after training. Continuing to meet its goal of driving business growth, the company became an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner in 2024.

The company focuses on obtaining more AWS Certifications and accreditations and advancing employee training by developing the specializations it needs within its team to promote its future growth.

“Everyone at Telefónica Tech is grateful to work with AWS Training and Certification,” says Castellanos. “It provides knowledge that benefits our employees and informs our work so that we can better help our clients with their digital transformation journeys.”