SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Tuesday launched an effort to teach 25 million people around the world digital-age work skills free of charge by the end of the year.
The US technology titan said it will back the effort with $20 million in cash grants to nonprofit organisations and tap into resources at developer-focused platform GitHub and career-oriented social network LinkedIn.
“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,” Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a blog post.
“And one of the keys to a genuinely inclusive recovery are programmes to provide easier access to digital skills for people hardest hit by job losses, including those with lower incomes, women, and underrepresented minorities.” A quarter of the grant money will be directed to community-based nonprofit organisations that are led by and serve US communities of colour, according to Smith.
“At its heart, this is a comprehensive technology initiative that will build on data and digital technology.” The coronavirus crisis has taken a much heavier toll on jobs than previously feared, the UN said on Tuesday, warning that the situation in the Americas was particularly dire.