New collaboration targets LMS modernization and workforce-aligned education for learners who face barriers to opportunity
Instructure, the learning ecosystem behind Canvas LMS, is expanding its efforts to connect more learners with modern education and workforce opportunities through a new collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Supported by the AWS Education Equity Initiative, the collaboration will advance AI-powered solutions across two complementary areas: helping institutions overcome the technical and financial barriers associated with learning management system migration, and accelerating Canvas Career capabilities for workforce development and continuing education.
Together, the initiatives are designed to help institutions serve learners who may be excluded from traditional education models or lack access to modern learning infrastructure. This includes adult learners returning to education, students in rural and underserved communities, incarcerated learners, community college students and participants in vocational and public-sector workforce programs.
The need is significant. For millions of learners globally, barriers to education extend beyond the classroom. Limited connectivity, geographic isolation, language barriers and inadequate technology infrastructure can make modern learning difficult to access.
Through the AWS Education Equity Initiative, Instructure and AWS aim to reach approximately 900,000 learners in the first year, including roughly 280,000 underserved learners. Over four years, the initiative has a path to reach approximately 5.4 million learners, including approximately 1.8 million underserved learners.
“Education equity means building systems that work for learners in every environment, including those who face the greatest barriers to opportunity,” said Melissa Loble, chief learning officer at Instructure. “Through this collaboration with AWS, we are accelerating tools that help more institutions modernize their learning environments and connect learners to workforce pathways. Instructure is committed to helping institutions expand opportunity through scalable learning infrastructure and workforce-connected learning experiences.”
“AWS is proud to power Instructure’s reach across more than 100 countries and millions of learners,” said Aanya Niaz, Education Lead, Amazon Web Services. “They’ve built Canvas Career to serve workforce and continuing education programs that often fall outside traditional higher education models. We want to make these tools and infrastructure that drive positive learning outcomes accessible to educators and learners who need them most.”
Turning Legacy Systems Into Pathways for Modern Learning
One of the first priorities of the collaboration is to make LMS migration less costly and complicated.
Many institutions continue to operate legacy, on-premise systems because they lack the resources needed to undertake a major technology migration. This challenge is particularly significant for institutions with smaller IT teams and limited budgets.
Instructure will use AWS support to develop AI-powered migration tools designed to streamline the transition to Canvas. The technology will be built to help institutions migrate from legacy LMS platforms, self-managed open-source environments, homegrown systems and other non-standard platforms.
The goal is to make modernization more achievable for institutions that may otherwise be unable to make the move, giving more educators and learners access to cloud-based learning infrastructure.
Preparing Learners for the Workforce
The second workstream focuses on Canvas Career, Instructure’s platform for skills-first and workforce-aligned learning.
Unlike traditional learning technology designed primarily around conventional higher education, Canvas Career is intended to support a broader range of learning environments. These include continuing education programs, K-12 workforce initiatives, community colleges, vocational training centers, public-sector workforce programs and adult learners.
With AWS support, development will concentrate on capabilities that can improve both access and workforce outcomes.
For learners in remote or low-connectivity settings, the initiative will explore secure infrastructure for environments such as correctional facilities and other remote locations. Accessibility frameworks will also support learners with disabilities.
At the same time, AI-powered skill mapping will help align education and training with job requirements. Credential and certification management will support stackable credentials and workforce badges, while employer-facing tools will help create stronger connections between learning pathways and employment pipelines.
From Access to Outcomes
The initiative is designed not only to expand access to learning technology, but also to understand whether that access translates into meaningful outcomes.
Instructure will begin publicly reporting progress during the second half of 2026 and continue reporting quarterly. Measurements will include institutional adoption and learner reach, with workforce outcomes such as credential attainment, program completion and job placement incorporated as programs mature.
During the first year, the work will concentrate on the United States, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom, with additional regions expected to be included over time.
Four learner and institutional groups will receive particular attention:
- K-12 districts operating workforce programs for rural and first-generation students
- Correctional facilities creating credential pathways for incarcerated learners
- Community colleges serving adult and budget-constrained students
- Workforce development organizations, including vocational training centers and public-sector programs
By combining cloud infrastructure, AI-powered tools and workforce-connected learning, Instructure and AWS aim to address some of the practical barriers that prevent learners from accessing modern education and career opportunities.
The initiative is intended as a starting point rather than a one-time effort. Future phases will build on the technologies developed through the collaboration, expand their availability and bring modern learning infrastructure to more institutions and learners around the world.