NSDC and Microsoft collaborate to

 NSDC and Microsoft collaborate to empower Indian youth
with digital skills

The initiative aims at skilling over 1 lakh youth in the next 12 months

With a vision to transform India into a skilled nation, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Microsoft today announced a strategic partnership aimed at providing digital skills to over 1 lakh youth in the country over the next 12 months. Microsoft will collaborate with NSDC’s eSkill India portal to provide free access to learning resources and conduct digital skilling awareness drives, equipping the next generation of learners with the skills they need to thrive in a digital economy.

As part of the partnership, Microsoft’s learning resource center, Microsoft Learn will be integrated with the eSkill India digital platform to provide access to personalized learning paths and resources that are in-demand in today’s economy and are well-positioned to continue to grow in the future. These learning paths will cover a broad range of skills, from entry-level digital literacy to advanced product-based skilling in critical technologies like AI and cloud computing, providing numerous opportunities for people to reskill and upskill, placing roles that are in-demand within reach of job seekers.

The partnership with NSDC is an extension of Microsoft’s global skilling initiative to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new digital skills needed for the COVID-19 economy.

Speaking about the partnership, Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said, “The digital transformation of India is driving demand for tech-enabled jobs across every industry and with it the need for digital skills. We are deeply invested in creating a digital skills ecosystem that prepares India’s workforce for jobs of the future. Our partnership with NSDC is a strong step in that direction, equipping learners with easily accessible tools and resources needed to succeed in a digital economy.”

Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Manish Kumar, CEO & MD, NSDC, said, “The collaboration aims at accelerating online learning for enhancing employability of the young workforce in a rapidly evolving digital environment. With focus on new-age and advanced skills, the initiative will meet the growing demands of our economy.”

The integration of Microsoft Learn on the eSkill India platform will provide learners with customized content and resources, accessible anytime, anywhere. eSkill India and Microsoft will co-host e-skilling events, webinars and virtual sessions across the country to support students, training partners and higher-education trainees enrolled under NSDC’s skill training programs. The sessions will be designed to drive digital literacy and provide insights into technologies like AI, machine learning and cloud computing among others.

Microsoft to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new

Microsoft to help 25 million people worldwide acquire new
digital skills needed for the COVID-19 economy

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced a new global skills initiative aimed at bringing more digital skills to 25 million people worldwide by the end of the year.

The announcement comes in response to the global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Expanded access to digital skills is an important step in accelerating economic recovery, especially for the people hardest hit by job losses.

This initiative, detailed on the Official Microsoft Blog, includes immediate steps to help those looking to reskill and pursue an in-demand job and brings together every part of the company, combining existing and new resources from LinkedIn, GitHub and Microsoft. This includes:

• The use of data to identify in-demand jobs and the skills needed to fill them
• Free access to learning paths and content to help people develop the skills these positions require.
• Low-cost certifications and free job-seeking tools to help people who develop these skills pursue new jobs

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. These resources can all be accessed at a central location, opportunity.linkedin.com, and will be broadly available online in four languages: English, French, German and Spanish.

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 color in the United States. The company is also pledging to make stronger data and analytics — including data from the LinkedIn Economic Graph — available to governments around the world so they can better assess local economic needs.

Microsoft will use its voice to advocate for public policy innovations that will advance skilling opportunities needed in the changed economy. Microsoft also announced that it is creating a new learning app in Microsoft Teams designed to help employers skill and upskill new and current employees as people return to work and as the economy adds jobs.

“COVID-19 has created both a public health and an economic crisis, and as the world recovers, we need to ensure no one is left behind,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “Today, we’re bringing together resources from Microsoft inclusive of LinkedIn and GitHub to reimagine how people learn and apply new skills — and help 25 million people facing unemployment due to COVID-19 prepare for the jobs of the future.”

“The biggest brunt of the current downturn is being borne by those who can afford it the least,” said Microsoft President Brad Smith. “Unemployment rates are spiking for people of color and women, as well as younger workers, people with disabilities, and individuals who have less formal education. Our goal is to combine the best in technology with stronger partnerships with governments and nonprofits to help people develop the skills needed to secure a new job.”

“Creating opportunity for every member of the global workforce drives everything we do at LinkedIn,” said LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. “As a part of the Microsoft ecosystem, we have the unique ability to help job seekers around the world — especially those who have been disproportionately disadvantaged during the COVID-19 crisis — gain the skills and find the jobs they deserve. We’re proud to be bringing the right data about what the jobs and skills of the future will be to create the right learning paths to help 25 million job seekers find their next opportunities. We’re making it all available at opportunity.linkedin.com.”

More information can be found at the Microsoft microsite news.microsoft.com/skills. Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.