Take part in Microsoft’s initiative to help 25 million people acquire digital skills

You can take part in Microsoft’s launched initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire the digital skills needed in a COVID-19 economy. There are 10 courses and registration is FREE.

Around the world, 2020 has emerged as one of the most challenging years in many of our lifetimes. In six months, the world has endured multiple challenges, including a pandemic that has spurred a global economic crisis. As societies reopen, it’s apparent that the economy in August will not be what it was in January.

Increasingly, one of the key steps needed to foster a safe and successful economic recovery is expanded access to the digital skills needed to fill new jobs. And one of the keys to a genuinely inclusive recovery are programs to provide easier access to digital skills for people hardest hit by job losses, including those with lower incomes, women, and underrepresented minorities.

To help address this need, today Microsoft is launching a global skills initiative aimed at bringing more digital skills to 25 million people worldwide by the end of the year. This initiative will bring together every part of our company, combining existing and new resources from LinkedIn, GitHub, and Microsoft.  It will be grounded in three areas of activity:

(1) The use of data to identify in-demand jobs and the skills needed to fill them;

2) Free access to learning paths and content to help people develop the skills these positions require;

(3) Low-cost certifications and free job-seeking tools to help people who develop these skills pursue new jobs.

At its heart, this is a comprehensive technology initiative that will build on data and digital technology. It starts with data on jobs and skills from the LinkedIn Economic Graph. It provides free access to content in LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, and the GitHub Learning Lab, and couples these with Microsoft Certifications and LinkedIn job-seeking tools.

In addition, Microsoft is backing the effort with $20 million in cash grants to help nonprofit organizations worldwide assist the people who need it most. One-quarter of this total, or $5 million, will be provided in cash grants to community-based nonprofit organizations that are led by and serve communities of colour in the United States.

How to Apply

To enrol, click on the course you want to take, register and start your free online training.

Courses:

1. Become a Software Developer
2. Become a Sales Representative
3. Become a Project Manager
4. Become an IT administrator (Prepare for CompTIA Network+ Certification)
5. Become a Customer Service Specialist
6. Become a Digital Marketing Specialist
7. Become IT Support / Help Desk (Prepare for the CompTIA A+ Certification)
8. Become a Data Analyst
9. Become a Financial Analyst
10. Become a Graphic Designer
11. Bonus: 16 essential internet learning Resources for Adults, compiled by broadbandsearch.net.

Registration: Free

Certificate to be issued on completion.

Deadline: Ongoing [See all deadlines]

For more information, visit their web page.