In its effort to help the unemployed developed required digital skills during the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft has announced a new initiative that aims to offer digital-skills training to 25 million people around the world by the end of 2020.
According to a recent report, the ongoing pandemic currently threatens around 17 million Pakistani users to face unemployment in the near future (if they already have not). With the growing number of cases, daily wagers are already out of work, and unemployment is on the rise.
Amidst all this, Microsoft is working on making things a little easier. Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in his blog,
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 July will not be what it was in January.
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.
Under this new initiative, Microsoft will be providing free access to educational content on LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, and GitHub Learning Lab. According to Smith, the Windows maker will work to identify in-demand jobs and provide access to free digital training and low-cost certifications.
