AWS Training Template and Checklist
A ready-to-run AWS skills program and the rollout checklist to go with it. Build the core services skills, then see which teams are ready to certify.
Reviewed by Pradeep Arora, Chief Strategy Officer
- A seven-module AWS program across compute, storage, networking and IAM
- A rollout checklist mapped to your accounts and certification goals
- A team proficiency matrix that shows where AWS skills are thin
- A learning calendar and an AWS certification-readiness plan
What is inside
- A seven-module AWS skills program, with audience and outcome for each session.
- A 10-point rollout checklist you can map to your accounts and certification goals and mark off as you go.
- A team proficiency matrix that scores each team and shows where AWS skills are thin.
- A learning calendar and an AWS certification-readiness plan so skills keep building through the year.
Who it is for
Anyone who has to plan what people learn, and answer for whether it landed.
- L&D and training teams
- People managers and team leads
- Heads of function and department
- HR business partners
- Compliance and risk teams
- Onboarding and enablement teams
- Operations and delivery leads
- COOs and HR directors
How to use this template in 4 steps
- Pick your format. Download the PDF to share, the Word file to edit, or the Excel file to work in live. All three are free.
- Make it yours. Adapt the sections, fields and wording to your team, roles and process so it fits how you actually work.
- Put it to work. Fill it in, circulate it to stakeholders for sign-off, or roll it out to your team.
- Track and improve. Review it on a set cadence and refine it as your goals, roles and priorities change.
What is inside
- A seven-module AWS skills program, with audience and outcome for each session.
- A 10-point rollout checklist you can map to your accounts and certification goals and mark off as you go.
- A team proficiency matrix that scores each team and shows where AWS skills are thin.
- A learning calendar and an AWS certification-readiness plan so skills keep building through the year.
Adapt the modules and checklist to your own AWS environment and certification goals. This is a starting structure to build from, not a substitute for your platform team's standards or AWS documentation. It is not legal or financial advice.
The training program template
Seven modules covering the core AWS services and the Well-Architected basics every team needs. Run the full set for new joiners to AWS, then use the role modules and certification prep through the year.
| Module | Audience | Duration | What it must cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. AWS foundations and the console | All learners | 25 min | Global infrastructure, regions and availability zones, accounts, and navigating the console and CLI. |
| 2. Compute | All learners | 30 min | EC2, containers and serverless with Lambda, and how to choose a compute option for a workload. |
| 3. Storage and databases | All learners | 30 min | S3, block and file storage, and managed databases, with durability and access basics. |
| 4. Networking | All learners | 30 min | VPCs, subnets, security groups and load balancing, and how traffic flows safely. |
| 5. IAM and security | All learners | 35 min | Users, roles, policies and least privilege, plus the most common AWS misconfigurations to avoid. |
| 6. Well-Architected and cost | Engineers, architects | 45 min | The Well-Architected pillars, cost management and tagging, and a hands-on review of a sample workload. |
| 7. Certification prep and refresher | By path | 30 min | Mapping to Cloud Practitioner or an Associate certification, a practice check and a plan to stay current. |
Delivering the modules and labs through an LMS gives you dated completion per person and per team, the evidence a delivery lead or an AWS Partner program asks for.
The rollout checklist
Ten steps to get AWS training live and keep it building. Tick items to track your own progress, it stays in this browser. The download has the same list with an owner column.
- Skills baseline assessment run before trainingAssessmentBefore launch
- AWS foundations and console covered for allFundamentalsPer cohort
- Compute, storage and networking walkthrough completedCore servicesPer cohort
- IAM and least privilege trained and evidencedSecurityOngoing
- Cost management and tagging habits introducedFinOpsOngoing
- Sandbox account access with guardrails providedLabsPer cohort
- Well-Architected review run on a sample workloadArchitecturePer cohort
- AWS certification path assigned per roleCertificationPer hire
- Proficiency tracked by team, not just company-wideGovernanceOngoing
- Refresher and certification review scheduledGovernanceAnnual
The most common gap is IAM depth. A company-wide completion number can hide a team that never learned least privilege, and that team is the one that leaves an account exposed.
Team proficiency at a glance
The checklist tells you what is missing overall. This matrix tells you which teams are behind. Score each team on the five AWS skills that matter most. In Excel the readiness and gaps calculate as you type.
| Team | People | Compute | Storage / DB | Networking | IAM | Cost | Ready |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform / DevOps | 40 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Application engineering | 120 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 70% |
| Data and analytics | 55 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 70% |
| QA and release | 45 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 40% |
| Delivery / project mgmt | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20% |
| Coverage at required | 60% | 60% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 60% |
Delivery and QA are the exposure here: weak on IAM and networking, and those are exactly the teams that request access and sign off releases.
The learning and certification calendar
| Timing | Action | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| On joining | Modules 1 to 5 in the first fortnight, with sandbox access. | L&D and platform |
| Monthly | Review completion, lab progress and proficiency by team. | Engineering leads |
| Quarterly | Run a hands-on challenge or an internal Well-Architected review. | Platform |
| For deeper roles | Role-based deep dive for engineers and architects. | Platform and L&D |
| Per role | Assign and track an AWS certification path. | L&D |
| Annual, all learners | Refresher on updated services and a short knowledge check. | L&D |
How to run it
- Baseline current AWS skills
Run a short assessment so you can show the change and target the gaps.
- Teach the core services first
Compute, storage, networking and IAM before anything advanced, so the foundations are solid.
- Make IAM and least privilege non-negotiable
Identity and access is where most AWS incidents start, so train it early and deeply.
- Track proficiency by team
Roll it up per team so a team without the core skills is visible before it touches production.
- Add hands-on labs in a sandbox account
Pair each module with a sandbox exercise, because AWS skills are built by doing, not watching.
- Map to a certification and review monthly
Assign an AWS certification path per role and review completion and lab progress each month.
Frontline teams reach 45 percent-plus completion on Disprz when training is delivered in short, mobile modules, the format this program is built for.
Common mistakes this pack prevents
- Handing out console tutorials and calling it a program, so nobody finishes and no one can tell who is ready.
- A company-wide completion number that hides a team that never learned IAM.
- Chasing advanced services before compute, storage and networking are solid.
- Training only engineers, when delivery managers request access and QA signs off releases.
- No proficiency records, so there is nothing to show a delivery lead or an AWS Partner program.
Which format should you use?
| Format | Best for | What is inside | Editable | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharing and print | The full template, formatted to print or circulate | No | 55 KB | |
| Word | Editing the wording | Every section as editable text you can adapt | Yes | 86 KB |
| Excel | Filling it in live | The grid and fields set up as a working spreadsheet | Yes | 65 KB |
Questions people ask
Which AWS certification does this map to?
How long does an AWS fundamentals program take?
Can I adapt the modules and checklist?
Does the Excel tracker work in Google Sheets?
Do I have to fill the form three times?
AWS skills only count when the whole team has them. That is the part we run.
Bring your teams to a 30-minute working session. We will show how Disprz delivers AWS training in short mobile modules, pairs them with labs, and rolls proficiency up by team, so your next certification push or account review is a two-minute export.