Education equity initiative targets 900,000 learners in its first year, with plans to reach approximately 5.4 million over four years
Instructure, the learning ecosystem and maker of Canvas LMS, is taking steps to expand access to modern education and workforce opportunities through a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Supported by the AWS Education Equity Initiative, the initiative will combine AI-powered technology and cloud infrastructure to address two key challenges: helping institutions move away from costly legacy learning systems and strengthening workforce-connected learning opportunities for underserved populations.
The effort aims to reach approximately 900,000 learners in its first year, including roughly 280,000 underserved learners. Over four years, the initiative has a path to reach approximately 5.4 million learners, roughly 1.8 million of whom are expected to be underserved.
For Instructure, the focus is not simply on expanding access to technology, but on creating measurable opportunities for learners. The initiative will track institutional adoption and learner reach, while workforce outcomes such as credential attainment, program completion and job placement will be measured as programs mature.
“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.”
Addressing the Technology Gap
For many institutions, access to modern learning technology is still limited by the systems they already have.
Under-resourced institutions frequently remain on legacy, on-premise LMS platforms because migrating to a new system can require substantial financial and technical resources. Self-managed open-source LMS environments, homegrown systems and other non-standard platforms can create additional challenges.
With support from AWS, Instructure will develop AI-powered migration tools intended to make moving to Canvas faster, simpler and more affordable.
The goal is to reduce the operational burden of modernization and give more institutions a viable path to cloud-based learning infrastructure, particularly those with limited IT resources.
Making Workforce Learning More Connected
The second part of the initiative centers on Canvas Career, Instructure’s platform for skills-first, workforce-aligned learning.
Canvas Career is designed to serve programs that often fall outside traditional higher education, including continuing education, K-12 workforce initiatives, community colleges, vocational training centers, public-sector workforce programs and adult learners.
“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.”
Development will focus on making learning more accessible while strengthening connections to employment.
For learners in correctional facilities and remote environments, the initiative will support secure, low-connectivity infrastructure. Accessibility frameworks will also be developed to support learners with disabilities.
New workforce capabilities will include AI-powered skill mapping to connect training with job requirements, credential and certification management for stackable credentials and workforce badges, and employer tools designed to connect education pathways with employment pipelines.
Starting With Four Priority Groups
The initiative’s first year will focus on the United States, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom, with additional regions to follow.
The initial work will concentrate on:
- K-12 districts with workforce programs serving rural and first-generation students
- Correctional facilities developing credential pathways for incarcerated learners
- Community colleges serving adult and budget-constrained students
- Workforce development organizations, including vocational training centers and public-sector programs
Instructure will begin publicly reporting progress during the second half of 2026, with updates continuing each quarter.
These reports will cover institutional adoption and learner reach, with workforce outcomes added as programs mature. The aim is to demonstrate not only how many institutions and learners are reached, but whether the initiative is helping learners earn credentials, complete programs and move toward employment.
Building Beyond the First Phase
The initiative recognizes that education inequity is shaped by challenges that extend beyond technology. However, modern infrastructure can provide an important foundation for institutions seeking to serve more learners effectively.
The initial collaboration between Instructure and AWS is designed to establish that foundation, with future phases expected to expand the tools and reach more institutions and learners around the world.