AWS Skill Builder Updates
New FeatureOpen Beta

A New Way to Keep Your AWS Certification Current

Maintain your certification through hands-on learning on AWS Skill Builder - no exam retake required.

24 June 2026

Hi AWS Certification Holders,

We're excited to share a significant update for your certified professionals: starting today, your team members can maintain their AWS Certification for an additional year by completing curated digital courses and hands-on labs on AWS Skill Builder - without retaking a full certification exam.

This is included at no additional cost with your existing Skill Builder Team Subscription (SBTS). No separate enrollment or purchase is required.

How It Works

1

Choose Your Certification

In AWS Skill Builder, navigate to Explore > Validate your skills > Recertify and select the certification to maintain.

2

Complete Curated Training

Work through digital courses and hands-on SimuLearn labs covering the latest developments in your certification domain. Earn points as you complete activities.

3

Certification Extends Automatically

Once you meet the requirements, your certification is extended by one year from your completion date - reflected immediately in your AWS Certification account.

Completion Requirements

Associate-level: 500 points + at least 1 SimuLearn lab

Professional-level: 700 points + at least 2 SimuLearn labs

Eligibility: Active certification within 90 days of expiration. Complete at your own pace within this window - no testing center appointment required.

Certifications Supported at Launch

Certification

Status

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

Available

AWS Certified Developer – Associate

Available

AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate*

Available

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional

Available

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional

Available

AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate

Q3 2026

AWS Certified Security – Specialty

Q3 2026

AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate

Q4 2026

*Can also be used to maintain AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate

Key Benefits for Your Organization

No disruption to projects - Team members maintain credentials through continuous learning without pulling away for full exam preparation.

Skills stay current - Training content covers the latest cloud and AI developments relevant to each certification role.

Included with SBTS - No additional cost beyond your existing Skill Builder Team Subscription.

Cascading extensions - Maintaining a Professional-level certification automatically extends related lower-level certifications that are still active.

Navigate to Explore > Validate your skills > Recertify

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this replace exam-based recertification?

No. This is an additional path - not a replacement. Certified professionals can still recertify by retaking their exam, passing a higher-level exam, or (for Cloud Practitioner) using AWS Cloud Quest.

Is there an additional cost?

No. This is included with your existing Skill Builder Team Subscription (SBTS) - no additional purchase required.

What happens if someone doesn't complete within the 90-day window?

If the eligibility window closes before completion, the team member will need to retake the traditional exam to maintain their certification.

Can someone use this more than once?

During this beta phase, each certification can only be maintained one time through this path.

Curated & republished by Leon Anderson · LinkedIn Subscribe to new issues →