Microsoft officially launches its Global Skills Initiative program in Kenya today. The announcement comes as the company unveils a private sector partnership agreement with Stanbic Kenya and the Kenya Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development.
The partnership aims to enhance the employability of Kenyan citizens through digital upskilling to address the skills gap within the market.
The program will be rolled out in two parts, the Global Skills Initiative (GSI) and the Emerging Markets Initiative (EMI). The GSI is what is being rolled out globally using Linkedin’s learning platform. The EMI is more about digital literacy for underserved communities. Part of the company’s coding4employment partnership with the AfDB. Both contents will be localized, customized and deployed by local implementing partners.
54 thousand Kenyan youth have engaged with the GSI since it launched in June says Kendi Ntwiga-Nderitu, Microsoft Kenya Country Manager. She also noted that Microsoft wants to help people differentiate themselves to be relevant for today and tomorrow with digitizations.
Kendi shares that some of the popular learning paths amongst Kenyan learners are skills that can be offered to the world from Kenya. These include; software development, customer service specialist, data analysts, digital marketing and project management. They make one relevant not just for Kenya, which increases the output of our youth, she adds.
At Microsoft, equipping citizens with adequate resources and technology so that they are able to upskill and reskill has always been at the centre of our work. Securing partnerships with like-minded organizations such as Stanbic Bank Foundation and the Ministry makes complete sense if we are to reach and scale for maximum impact and successfully curb the impact of the pandemic.
Kendi Ntwiga-Nderitu, Microsoft Kenya Country Manager
The Global Skills Initiative in Kenya through the partnership will see about 50 thousand people skilled by end of the year. With plans to reach 500 thousand in the next three years.
Microsoft announced the skills program in June last year after the global economic crisis due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The program seeks to help 25 million people worldwide hit by job losses acquire digital skills to fill new ones.
Global Skills Initiative in Africa
When Microsoft launched its Global Skills Initiative it didn’t see a lot of adoption in Africa due to several challenges. Microsoft shared in January that 900 thousand people across the Middle East and Africa have participated in the program. Noting the popular learning paths are software developer, customer service specialist and data analyst.
This number shows a lesser fraction of the 10 million learners around the globe and what has been achieved in other regions.
The company mentioned partnering with other organizations and governments as one of the many ways to change this. Including offering additional funding and services where needed.
Watch the Microsoft Kenya country manager make the announcement.
https://youtu.be/YmrqaxPVics?t=3375
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Two thousand unemployed youths in Kenya are set to gain employment after taking part in a digital skills initiative. Led by Stanbic Kenya, Microsoft Kenya and the Kenya Ministry of Trade, Industrialization and Enterprise Development.
The digital skills initiative seeks to upskill about 50,000 people affected by the covid-19 pandemic with digital skills this year. This number will increase in subsequent phases to reach half a million Kenyans across the country in the next three years.
Training for the initiative will take place at various government centres. Stanbic Kenya Foundation is donating 480 computers and laptops to the ministry to support the training. The program expects that at least two thousand participants will be placed in employment after their training.
As at August 2020, about one Million Kenyans have lost their jobs due to the pandemic according to Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina.
Watch the full partnership announcement by Microsoft Kenya, Stanbic Kenya and the Ministry of Trade, Industrialization and Enterprise Development below.
https://youtu.be/YmrqaxPVics?t=2231
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The youth in Ekiti State, Nigeria, will benefit from a new collaboration between the state government and Microsoft Nigeria.
The partnership will see the youth acquire new digital skills, get certified and become employable.
Ekiti State Government will also invest about two hundred thousand dollars in two thousand participants with free vouchers to earn an industry-recognized Microsoft IT certificate.
The initiative is in tandem with Microsoft’s global skills initiative. Which plans to have about twenty-five million people gain new digital skills worldwide by March 2021.
The government notes the initiative is geared at the unemployed and underemployed. And part of the governor’s actions to mitigate the economic impact of covid-19.
The government is also working with three local hubs; GoGlobal Hub, Glimpse Solutions and Christore Hub in the initiative. These hubs will confirm competition of the selected course and issue participant with the certification exams voucher.
Here’s what to know to participate in the digital skills program.
Firstly, you’ll need to be a resident of Ekiti State to be eligible to participate in the program.
Secondly, you’ll need to have access to the internet and a device to complete the lessons.
Thirdly, you’ll need to register on the program website. Select a course to study and a hub for post training verification.
Once you have completed all the learning modules, you will download and print the issued certificate of completion. Present this at the hub to get a voucher to pay for the Microsoft certification exams. You will have about two weeks to take the exams.
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Check out other stories making the news in the technology ecosystem in Africa and the Middle East.
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.
The Microsoft Digital Skills Center for Nonprofits seeks to empower organizations do more good with the help of technology tools.
TechSoup is introducing Microsoft Digital Skills Center for Nonprofits in a new collaboration with Microsoft. The digital skills center will have a focus on nonprofits and will exist within the TechSoup course platform. Offering trainings on using Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Power BI and PowerApps.
TechSoup shares that “Strengthening digital literacy, enabling cloud adoption and building technology-forward strategies are critical to nonprofits working on social, environmental and educational issues“.
In February 2109 Microsoft Philanthropies announced a $1 million impact investment to support TechSoup. An initiative Microsoft says is to nearly double the number of nonprofit organizations it serves worldwide. Microsoft believes it will help nonprofits utilize technology to amplify their mission and impact.
“TechSoup has been a critical partner in building a remarkable and robust societal ecosystem that brings the promise of technology to nonprofits serving on the frontlines. Those trying to solve and address the world’s biggest challenges. Microsoft’s investment in and collaborative partnership with TechSoup is building bridges to digital inclusion and empowerment to help the nonprofit sector realize all the benefits of cloud technologies.
Justin Spelhaug, General Manager, Microsoft Philanthropies Tech for Social Impact
Rebecca Masisak, CEO TechSoup, says this partnership empowers nonprofits to create, connect, activate and transform their organizations and communities.
