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Linux Academy, the online Linux and cloud training platform and community, launched the public beta of Cloud Assessments, a new platform that allows enterprises to test and train their IT teams, as well as prospective job candidates, on their technology. Individuals can also leverage Cloud Assessments to prove real, hands-on skill and earn micro certifications.

The first Cloud Assessment offerings will focus on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

“In today’s world of constantly changing technologies and competition for IT talent, it’s necessary for companies to know for certain that their IT staff and new hires have more than a theoretical understanding of their technology, particularly AWS,” said Anthony James, CEO and founder, Linux Academy. “Whether it’s used by companies to test, vet, or train their teams on AWS skills or by individuals to assess and learn new ones, Cloud Assessments provides proof of those skills, and we’re very excited about the tremendous advantages and opportunities it presents to both.”

Cloud Assessments works by using real servers in live environments – rather than just questions and answers – to test and verify a person’s working knowledge of AWS. Future features in the platform will enable enterprises to assign assessments to users. In addition to it speeding up their hiring processes, companies can use Cloud Assessments to train AWS skills, fostering advancement from within.

For individuals, Cloud Assessments offers micro certifications on AWS. Individuals can learn with labs as they move through assessments in order to receive a micro certification that corresponds to a job requirement or position opening. The micro certifications attained through Cloud Assessments’ hands-on training are proof that an individual has the skills they need to perform, and can help them advance in a position or find employment.

According to a recent survey of more than 6,000 IT professionals by Linux Academy, the average person takes weeks or even months to get up to speed on a new company’s technology stack. Cloud Assessments can drastically reduce this time by ensuring that new hires not only understand, but are able to effectively work with a company’s technology before they start.

In the same survey, 35 percent of respondents said that micro certifications have either helped them get a job or advance in their career, and most think their company would benefit from partnering with a micro certification provider; 85 percent would most likely pursue micro certification if their employers facilitated the offering.