Microsoft has begun the next step in its skilling prgramme by launching the Skills for Jobs Learning Pathways which, in Nigeria, is aimed to invest in young ones and government employees.
The programme is coming on the heels of the success of its Global Skills Initiative which was launched in June 2020. Since then, Microsoft has helped over 80 million people access digital and foundational skills.
The company expects that the Skills for Jobs Learning Pathways will provide learners with access to 350 new courses and easy-to-follow learning paths, noting that these new learning paths represent an expansion and increased investment to the initial global skills initiative.
In Nigeria, the global skills programme has impacted about 507,000 youths and government employees while 372,000 of them have been trained in digital, role-based foundational and technical training.
Microsoft has, however, learnt that skills alone aren’t enough for people to get the jobs they want, especially in the most in-demand jobs. It has learnt further that people, especially those changing careers, need to be able to show hiring managers that they have these skills.
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“Digital transformation has accelerated across all industries, creating new tech and tech-enabled roles and powering economic growth. The Microsoft Skills for Jobs Learning Pathways programme is focused on ensuring that economic opportunity is inclusive,” a statement from the company explained.
The statement explained further that the programme is meant to ensure that job seekers around the world have access to the skills, technology, and opportunity they need to succeed in a changing economy.
The Microsoft Skills for Jobs Pathways provide people excluded from the digital economy with in-demand foundational, role-based and technical skills, certifications and connections to jobs and opportunities.
Expectation is that, by 2025, the company will help train and certify 10 million people with new skills and, together with LinkedIn, will provide free access to 350 new courses and easy-to-follow learning paths, and six Career Essentials Certificates for six of the most in-demand jobs.
The courses will be available in eight languages, including English and Arabic, to help job seekers showcase their skills to employers, and help them get jobs.
Microsoft is helping learners to prepare for tech and tech-enabled roles with new learning paths and certificates for some of the most in-demand roles in the digital economy including administrative professional, project manager, business analyst, systems administrator, software developer and data analyst.
The company has invested not just in unlocking content but developing content for each of the career essential certificates paths to ensure it is a better-fit for learners.
There will be three new learning paths that set foundational skills. These are Digital Literacy & Productivity, Soft Skills and Entrepreneurship. For those learners moving to the next level after foundational skills, there are six career certificates available.
The courses combine the knowledge from experts in the field, including Microsoft product expertise, and a purposeful building of introductory courses. All the courses are available on LinkedIn at opportunity.linkedin.com.
In addition, Microsoft-developed courses are also available on Microsoft Community Training (MCT) and in downloadable format for use on other Learning Management Systems (LMS) for partners.
Microsoft is also partnering with 200 non-profit organizations around the world, governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations and other private sector partners.
