Kmart Group will implement a cloud guild training and enablement program to certify its entire IT staff on Amazon Web Services (AWS) by December 2019.
The deal will also see more than 80 per cent of Kmart's non-technical head office staff receive cloud training, resulting in a total of 1400 Kmart and Target Australia employees trained by the end of the year.
This includes teams located across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China and India.
The program, dubbed Spark, has been designed to give Kmart employees the necessary skills to innovate with cloud, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technology. It is set to help the retailer predict buying patterns in each of its stores, avoiding out-of-stock situations and allowing items to be rerouted.
Kmart expects the training will enable staff to design, deploy and operate infrastructure and applications on AWS, resulting in the faster delivery of solutions to ease and improve the customer experience.
Up to 20 hours of training will be available to employees both on-site and online by certified AWS instructors.
Kmart CTO Michael Fagan, who completed the training in September, said the company is shoring up its workforce skills to ensure it remains at the forefront of technology innovation in the retail sector.
"We are equipping our staff with the skills needed for the future. Our significant investment in training employees to innovate will be a game-changer as Kmart Group is set to become one of the world’s first major retailers to have all IT staff certified in cloud technologies," Fagan said.
“We are using new technology to increase efficiency and achieve scale, which was previously impossible. For example, we are now able to leverage AWS data platforms, including RedShift, to gain better and faster insights about our products and their demand across our network."
AWS A/NZ managing director Paul Migliorini said the launch of the program to both technical and non-technical employees enables Kmart's teams to continue to focus on innovating and delivering improved experiences for their customers.
Kmart joins NAB, IAG and Australia Post who have also implemented an AWS Cloud Skills Guild training program.
The AWS Skills Guild is a tailored training program offered currently only for Asia Pacific, Japan and China (APJC) region.