Amazon Opens Free Tech Training Hub for 1,200 Mexican Teens

Sixteen-year-olds in Querétaro, Mexico just got handed the keys to their tech futures, and it won't cost them a peso.

Amazon Web Services opened its first Think Big Space in Latin America this week, a state-of-the-art training center where 1,200 high school students annually will learn cloud computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, and digital design. The facility launched May 26 in the city's BLOQUE Center for Innovation and Creative Technology.

The program runs deeper than weekend workshops. Starting in June, students can enroll in six free STEM courses through a partnership with Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM). Each course runs 20 hours, and graduates who complete all 120 hours of training receive an official UNAM certificate that validates their tech skills to future employers.

Amazon's director of public policy in Mexico, Ana Paola Barbosa, explained the company's philosophy simply. Closing Latin America's digital divide doesn't start with fiber optics or data centers. It starts with getting the right tools into the hands of a teenager.

The facility already proved its worth during a trial run last year. More than 1,000 young women from 10 local high schools participated in Amazon Girls Tech Day, exploring programming, AI, and robotics through hands-on workshops designed to inspire careers in technology.

Querétaro Mayor Felipe Fernando Macías called the opening a milestone for his city, saying it strengthens the capital's position as a national and international technology hub. He described the space as incubating dreams and opportunities for young people who will shape the next decade through innovation and automation.

The Ripple Effect

This investment extends far beyond one training center. Amazon has committed over $5 billion to data centers across Mexico, building infrastructure that creates demand for exactly the skills these students will learn. The teenagers walking into Think Big Space today are training for jobs that already exist in their own communities.

The program particularly focuses on students who might otherwise miss out on tech education. By offering free training with official certification, it removes the financial barriers that keep talented young people out of high-paying technology careers.

When a 16-year-old in Querétaro can access the same robotics training as students in Silicon Valley, that's how opportunity spreads.