AWS re/Start Cloud Training in South Africa

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

AWS re/Start is Amazon Web Services’ free training programme for people who want to move into cloud computing jobs without a technical background. AWS runs it through local “collaborating organisations”, and its list names Praesignis, an IT services and training company based in Randburg, Johannesburg, as the South African partner. The course lasts about three months, is full-time and costs the learner nothing. Praesignis has published three 2027 cohorts; applications for the first open on 28 December 2026.

The three 2027 cohorts

Praesignis gives opening dates only. It does not say when each intake closes, so an application window may be short: cohort 1 opens barely five weeks before training starts. No application is possible before 28 December 2026.

Four conditions for applicants

1. Be 18 or older.
2. Be unemployed or underemployed.
3. Be available for full-time training for the whole cohort.
4. Be motivated to start a career in cloud computing.

Neither Praesignis nor AWS asks for prior technology experience, and neither publishes an upper age limit or a minimum school qualification for re/Start. AWS notes that learner requirements can differ by country and partner, and Praesignis describes its free programmes as open to “carefully selected South African individuals”, so expect a selection process. Praesignis does not say on its re/Start page whether training is online or in person; ask when you apply if travel to Randburg matters to you.

Cloud skills in the syllabus

Accredited instructors teach through instructor-led sessions, hands-on labs and real-world scenarios. The technical content covers:

• Linux
• Python
• Networking
• Security
• Databases
• Automation
• Core AWS Cloud services

Praesignis builds its three-month course around the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) exam. AWS says re/Start learners get complimentary access to practice exams and full certification exams, which on AWS’s description means learners should not pay their own certification exam fee.

Job preparation and employer interviews

Alongside the technical work, learners are coached in communication and collaboration, CV writing and interview technique. AWS says the programme prepares graduates for employer meetings and job interviews and gives them access to the AWS Emerging Talent Community after they finish. Praesignis lists junior cloud engineer, systems administrator, cloud automation lead and infrastructure engineer among the roles graduates are equipped for. Neither organisation promises a job at the end.

No stipend is mentioned

The re/Start programme is free, but Praesignis does not say it pays a stipend for it. Praesignis’s separate 12-month Data Science Practitioner learnership, which includes three months of re/Start, does pay a monthly stipend; that learnership’s last intake started on 30 June 2025 and its applications are closed. Anyone considering full-time re/Start training should plan how to cover transport and living costs for three months.

To register interest before applications open, use the enquiry form on the Praesignis learnerships page and choose the AWS re/Start option, or phone Praesignis on +27 11 022 6812. Schedule updates appear on the Praesignis AWS re/Start page, and AWS’s own how-to-apply page confirms Praesignis as the South African partner. For funded study in the same field, see the AWS Skills Development Bursary, WeThinkCode_ and other ICT bursaries.

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