I had the privilege to address young women from a number of local schools in Melton, Melbourne to provide an overview of the program at this year’s Amazon Girls Tech Day.
We know teachers want to equip students with critical AI and digital skills, and build that skillset for themselves, but they face significant barriers. New research commissioned by Amazon surveying Aussie teachers show that 43% of teachers cite a lack of formal training in digital technologies as a key challenge, while 39% identify a lack of curriculum-aligned resources as a major barrier.
These findings have shown us exactly what is holding them back. Meanwhile, use of AI is rapidly becoming a standard requirement in most jobs, and our students need an early start to help them harness the technology in a responsible, safe, and productive way as they move into their future careers.
Standing before hundreds of bright, curious students last week, I was reminded of my own journey into technology. I didn't have a conventional pathway into tech. Growing up in a suburb in the UK where academic achievement wasn't always celebrated, I found my sanctuary in the science lab. My teacher, Mrs. Hilton, gave me something invaluable: the confidence to ask questions and be curious. At 14, I won the school science award, a book about oceans and far-flung countries that sparked dreams of exploration and set me on a path toward technology.
That curiosity opened doors I never imagined, from joining a tech startup at 20 to eventually traveling the world, meeting Prime Ministers, and helping solve complex problems with cutting-edge technology. I know what it's like to have a teacher who believes in you, who encourages your curiosity, who helps you see possibilities beyond your immediate circumstances. Mrs. Hilton changed my life. These programs are about ensuring every student in Australia has access to teachers who can do the same - who can open doors to the digital future and help students walk through them with confidence.
The first is the AWS AI Spring K-12 AI Education program, which is Australia's first locally developed, co-designed AI education program available to all K-12 students, teachers, parents, and carers across public and independent schools as part of AWS’s AI Spring Program. At its heart is Lumen AI - a secure, interactive environment where teachers can safely explore large language models through guided, curriculum-aligned activities with their students.
Why does this matter? Because more than three-quarters (75%) of teachers we surveyed say they are enthusiastic about using AI in their classroom, but they need guided lesson plans, real-world case studies, and a safe, secure age-appropriate environment to do so. Lumen AI provides exactly that: a controlled setting where students can begin their AI journey responsibly, understanding not just how to use these powerful tools, but how to use them ethically and safely.
The second program announced, is the Amazon Virtual Teacher Training (VTT) program, which takes our proven in-person teacher training model online, and makes it accessible to every teacher in Australia, including those in regional and remote areas. This free, comprehensive program offers self-paced modules, interactive coding activities, and support from both Tech Futures Australia educators and Amazon computer science professionals. Upon completion, teachers will be equipped to deliver a 16-hour Introduction to Digital Technologies unit to their students.
Building coding skills has benefits that extend far beyond coding itself; it teaches computational thinking - the ability to break down problems, design logical solutions, and understand how technology works. These are foundational skills that underpin everything from AI literacy to digital problem-solving, and they are increasingly essential across every career path.
To unlock Australia's AI capability, we must start early, and teachers are our most critical enablers. They represent one of the earliest and most effective touchpoints through which we can nurture future generations of technology and AI innovators.
As Megan Fyfe, CEO of Tech Futures Australia who have developed both of these innovative programs, put it so well: "The future of Australia is in the hands of the next generation, and it is important that we are providing them with the right knowledge, confidence, and inspiration from their teachers, to pursue careers in technology."
These new programs join Girls' Tech Day as part of Amazon's broader commitment to upskilling Australians in digital and AI skills. Since 2018, Amazon Girls' Tech Day has reached over 30,000 girls and young women globally, with more than 4,000 students participating across seven events in Australia alone.
As I told those students in Melton: explore, experiment, ask questions, and imagine what you can create. The future of technology needs their ideas, perspectives, and talents. But inspiration alone isn't enough. We need to give students and teachers the skills, resources, and confidence to turn that inspiration into action. That's what these programs are designed to do.
AI is the most transformative technology of our generation. It will redefine how we live, work, and play. To position Australia as a global AI and technology leader, we must build our national AI capabilities starting from our schools, with teachers who are empowered, students who are inspired, and programs that make world-class education accessible to everyone.
The future is being built in classrooms across Australia right now. Let's make sure we're giving our teachers and students everything they need to shape it.
