Microsoft launched a global skills initiative aimed at bringing more digital skills to 25 million people worldwide by the end of 2020 to help foster a safe, successful and inclusive economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project — the largest skills initiative in Microsoft’s history — brings together every part of the company, combining existing and new resources from LinkedIn, GitHub and Microsoft. It uses data to identify which jobs are in demand and what skills are needed to fill them, and then provides free access to learning paths and content to help people develop those skills, followed by low-cost certifications and free job-seeking tools to help people with new skills pursue new jobs.
Microsoft also outlined a vision for a connected system of learning with a new app in Microsoft Teams to help employers teach employees new skills through content from LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, third-party training providers and a company’s own learning content.