Microsoft partners with over 100 nonprofit organizations globally to close the gap for computer science education skills among young people in local communities

Hong Kong, May 25, 2016 — Today, Microsoft Philanthropies announced grants for over 100 nonprofit organizations in 55 countries. The grants are a component of the $75M commitment Microsoft made to increase access to computer science education around the world through Microsoft YouthSpark, as announced by Satya Nadella last year. Microsoft is partnering with these nonprofits by providing cash grants, content and other resources they need to bring computational thinking and problem-solving skills to young people in local communities, important building blocks to help them succeed in today’s tech-fueled economy.

In Hong Kong, Microsoft Hong Kong will collaborate with WebOrganic to empower computer science and employment training for youth. WebOrganic is committed to providing internet access, training and mentoring services to families through a network of 10 community centers. With support from Microsoft YouthSpark, Microsoft Hong Kong will cooperate with WebOrganic will provide computer science activities, employment and internship resources to 560 low-income youth. Program activities include IT company visits, computer science trainings and competitions, Microsoft certification trainings and internships and job placement resources.

On the other hand, Microsoft Hong Kong has partnered with Project WeCan, a Business-in-Community initiative aiming to provide students who are disadvantaged in learning with opportunities and care to empower them for pursuing higher education and future careers. With the financial support from Microsoft, F3 and F4 students from 50 local schools on Project WeCan platform will have the opportunities to take part in Microsoft YouthSpark x Project WeCan, organized by WebOrganic. This training program aims to equip students with coding skills as well as a deeper understanding towards future innovation and ICT industry.

A training course based on Microsoft MTA361 ‘Software Development Fundamentals’ and 4 hours of coding workshop will also be provided throughout the program. Enterprise visits and career seminars are also arranged to help students to understand better their career interests and plan ahead for their future.

“In the future, employees in any fields have to be equipped with computational thinking and problem-solving skills,” said Horace Chow, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong. “In collaboration with nonprofits in Hong Kong, we will teach young people basics in computing science, to help them to get ready for their future and realize their innovative dreams.”

Closing the computer science skills gap and reaching young people on a local and global scale is a multi-faceted challenge that cannot be solved by one organization or solution alone. Microsoft’s partnerships with nonprofit organizations mean that more young people—particularly underserved communities, girls and ethnic and racially diverse populations-will have access to computer science education, helping build skills critical for future success.

 

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About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

 

For further information, press only:

 

Microsoft Hong Kong Limited

Jocelyn Cheung

Tel: +852 2804-4437

Email: [email protected]

 

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