Microsoft inaugurates a new state of the art sustainable campus adding to its investments in Israel.
The new Microsoft campus costs about one hundred and five million dollars and is situated at the Herzliya Pituah business district. It will be able to handle an influx of two thousand eight hundred employees as well as customers and clients who visit the campus.
It will host all of Microsoft’s local divisions as well as a technology experience center for customers and partners. To experience the finest technological developments in the industry worldwide.
The campus is designed with Microsoft’s sustainability values woven into every area and detail. It is the first office complex to be certified as environmentally sound in the country.
Ronit Atad, General Manager, Microsoft Israel speaking about the campus noted it is built with a fierce sustainability agenda. This masterpiece campus will house employees with workspaces designed for accessibility, efficiency and the employee’s wellbeing in every corner, she adds.
“The new campus brings a new experience to all of Microsoft’s employees in Israel. And I’m happy for this personal and professional union. The physical proximity will empower us and improve our service to our customers and partners. This new innovative tech center will allow us to offer our customers and partners the best and most cutting-edge solutions that will lead them to success and digital independence.”
Ronit Atad, General Manager, Microsoft Israel.
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The innovative campus in Herzliya is a long-term investment in by Microsoft, says Michal Braverman-Blumenstyk, CVP and General Manager of Microsoft Israel R&D.
“A great deal of thought was put into every detail. From convenient transportation, through accessibility and integration of diverse populations. To wellbeing in food, fitness, and leisure.“
Michal Braverman-Blumenstyk
Microsoft also plans to build a new Israel cloud region to be available starting with Microsoft Azure in 2021, with Office 365 to follow.
Microsoft is announcing the release of the Microsoft Edge Dev Insider channel for Linux. The Microsoft Edge Linux preview build will support Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and OpenSUSE distributions.
The company announced it was bringing Microsoft Edge to Linux in May at Microsoft Build.
With this release, Microsoft is looking at two Linux customer categories. The Linux enthusiasts asking for Microsoft Edge and web developers for test automation.
This is to provide a representative experience for developers who want to build and test their sites and apps on Linux, notes Kyle Pflug, Microsoft Principal Program Manager Lead, Developer Experiences.
We’re particularly excited to offer web developers the same consistent and powerful web platform and developer tools. As on macOS or Windows, so you can build and test in your preferred environment and be confident in the experience your customers will have on other devices.
You can download the Microsoft Edge Linux preview build for your repository from the Microsoft Edge Insider site. Or install it directly from the Microsoft Linux Software Repository.
Watch Microsoft Program Manager, Sean Larkin, talk about the availability of the Microsoft Edge Dev Channel for Linux.
Linux fan? Are you excited about this announcement? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
From now till the end of the year, you can schedule select Microsoft certifications at a discounted price of fifteen Dollars. These include five fundamentals certifications and eight role-based certifications.
Anyone who schedules an exam under this initiative will have until March 31st 2021 to complete the examination. Unless the offer gets extended by Microsoft.
The discount offer is available to anyone who self-attest that their livelihood has been impacted by COVID-19 crisis.
Microsoft president Brad Smith notes the initiative aims to help job seekers demonstrate their skills to potential employers.
Here is a list of the qualifying Microsoft certifications under the discount offer. Click to visit the exam page.
To schedule for an exam, first, you will have to go to the exam page via the links above. You will see a new schedule for USD15 option under schedule exam.
Clicking on this will bring up a confirmatory dialog box. Where you click on ‘i agree’ to declare you meet the eligibility requirements for the offer.
The next step will be confirming details about your Microsoft Certifications profile and then you follow the necessary steps to complete the process.
Microsoft is collaborating with Social Change Factory to launch a digital skills initiative in Senegal.
Through the partnership, Social change is offering free access to learning content, recognized Microsoft certification and professional opportunities.
This is part of Microsoft’s Global Skills Initiative programme to help twenty-five million people worldwide acquire digital skills. By giving learners access to learning resources across Microsoft and its subsidiary companies, LinkedIn and GitHub.
The resources include free access to learning paths and content to help learners develop the skills these positions require. As well as low-cost certifications and free job-seeking tools to help learners pursue new jobs.
The initiative will help young job seekers acquire competencies and get certified, notes Yacine Barro, Microsoft West and Central Africa Country Manager during the launch event.
As an immediate response, this initiative consists of helping individual young job seekers to acquire competencies and get certified on them; ensuring they gain the right skills, knowledge, and opportunity to succeed in the post-pandemic world. Microsoft and Social Change Factory will provide free access to learning content from LinkedIn Learning, GitHub and Microsoft Learn. Access to low-cost test that provides industry-recognized certifications. And free connections to LinkedIn Employability tools such as networking and job search tools, coaches and mentorships opportunities.
Yacine Barro
Yaccine also thanks Social Change Factory for helping drive the skills initiative in Senegal.
To learn more and participate in the Microsoft Global skills initiative click to visit the Social Change Factory website.
Pour formez-vous et obtenez une certification Microsoft Global Skills initiative cliquez ici.
Rwanda Coding Academy will receive one hundred and fifty thousand US Dollars in a new grant agreement between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Ministry of ICT and Innovation in Rwanda.
The grant fund is sponsored by the Rockefeller Trust Fund and administered by AfDB. It will go into financing on-job training for teachers. As well as equipping the school with the equipment to facilitate an ultra-modern innovation center.
The academy is a special model school set up by the Rwandan government to develop technology talent. That will drive the booming innovation-driven digital economy in Rwanda. The academy trains students in software development, embedded systems programming and Cyber-Security.
“The Rwanda Coding Academy is part of our broader vision to grow a local pool of highly talented Pan-African workforce in science, technology and innovation“, shares Paula Ingabire, Minister for ICT and Innovation.
Nnenna Nwabufo, Acting Director General for the African Development Bank’s Eastern Region notes “this proof-of-concept has profound implications on how the education sector can adopt an effective response to the persistent skills mismatches in the labour market, not only in Rwandan but in Africa at large.”
The coding Academy is a 3-year program opened to high school graduates. It has an intake of sixty students per year, recruiting 30 sets of boys and girls for each year to encourage gender diversity.
It is currently piloting in Nyabihu District in the Western province of Rwanda with plans to scale the academy in each province. That will onboard about three hundred students each year.
Facebook is partnering with Creatives Garage to launch a platform where Kenyan creatives can amplify their work and inspire others. This is part of efforts from Facebook to highlight the successes of people.
The partnership will also see creatives in Kenya receive training on audience engagement and monetizing of content on Facebook.
The partnership launches with the #RealpeopleRealstories campaign that will run till December 16th 2020.
Through the #RealpeopleRealstories campaign, Facebook will showcase stories of ordinary people using creativity and innovation to inspire their communities. The campaign will also highlight how Facebook and Instagram help people stay connected and pursue goals that build communities.
At Facebook, we support and invest in various communities across the continent notes Janet Kembo, Facebook Communications Manager for Eastern Africa. One of our key roles is investing and supporting African youth with diverse creative talent, she continues.
#RealpeopleRealstories aims to encourage people to share their experiences and motivate others to find solutions to everyday challenges. We are delighted to work with Creatives Garage to amplify the untold stories of ordinary people who are inspiring their communities through their work.”
Janet Kembo
Now more than ever, creatives need innovative ways to share content that could provide sustainable income streams. Notes Liz Kilili, Creatives Garage Founder and Managing Director, talking about the partnership and initiative.
