Jakarta, Indonesia – January 30, 2024: The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across ASEAN has become a defining force and is poised to contribute an estimated USD 1 trillion to the region’s GDP by 2030.[1] As the digital landscape evolves, the imperative to prepare the workforce for the challenges and opportunities in this new era of AI has never been more paramount.
Recognizing the crucial role of AI skilling in fostering inclusive economic growth by empowering workers and job seekers to supercharge their careers and businesses, the ASEAN Foundation and Microsoft have launched the AI TEACH for ASEAN program aimed at shaping the region’s tech future where AI proficiency is a cornerstone of success.
In collaboration with local nonprofits, workforce institutions, and governments, AI TEACH aims to drive significant employment and education outcomes for individuals seeking to upskill themselves. This concerted effort aims to harness the power of AI and other technologies, ultimately enhancing economic outcomes for the workforce.
The AI TEACH for ASEAN program aims to provide AI fluency training to 6,200 Technology Vocational Education and Training (TVET) educators in ASEAN, with a focus on Indonesia and Malaysia. Using the Microsoft AI Trainer Toolkit, the program will empower educators to effectively teach AI concepts and introduces Microsoft and LinkedIn Career Essentials in Generative AI to students, equipping them with essential skills for course completion and certification.
Dr. Piti Srisangnam, the executive director of the ASEAN Foundation, conveyed his excitement about this partnership, highlighting its pivotal role in aligning with the goals of the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025, saying “the AI TEACH for ASEAN program by Microsoft and the ASEAN Foundation is a testament to our commitment to empowering the youth, enhancing their skill sets, and positioning them as catalysts for the region’s progress. By fostering innovation and providing practical AI skills, we aim to contribute significantly to the economic and technological growth of ASEAN.”
The end goal of AI TEACH for ASEAN program is to help 400,000 individuals in Indonesia and Malaysia to get better employment and education opportunities while bringing positive changes to the TVET system by integrating AI skilling to align with evolving industry requirements.
The program will achieve this by delivering several key activities. The first activity is training-of-trainers for TVET teachers across ten ASEAN countries through collaboration with the Senior Officials Meeting on Education and ASEAN Secretariat, ensuring government attention and support. In Indonesia and Malaysia, TVET trainers will cascade AI skills training to students via MOUs with TVETs.
Complementing the training-of-trainers, a country-level hackathon will be rolled-out in Indonesia and Malaysia, leading up to regional hackathon organized in Indonesia, which aims to foster excitement among trainers to integrate their expertise in Generative AI into teaching methods. Finally, a regional TVET policy-roundtable on AI skilling will also be held to invite policymakers, AI experts, and nonprofits to share experiences and best practices.
Andrea Della Mattea, president for Microsoft in ASEAN, shares, “We’re thrilled to work with the ASEAN Foundation, Yayasan Plan International Indonesia and Biji-biji to ensure everyone has the skills to thrive in this exciting era of AI. Together, we’re closing the skills gap, providing opportunities for success, enabling inclusive economic growth, and empowering the entrepreneurs of tomorrow—today!”
In close collaboration with Microsoft, the ASEAN Foundation will assist in overseeing the implementation of the AI TEACH for Indonesia and Malaysia programs that will be spearheaded by Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (YPII) and Biji-biji Initiative with a localized approach to address the unique needs and contexts of each country.
While YPII and Biji-biji Initiative take the lead in Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively, the ASEAN Foundation will focus on delivering a regional policy-roundtable on AI Skilling and organizing a regional hackathon.
About the ASEAN Foundation
Three decades after ASEAN was established, ASEAN leaders recognized that: there remained inadequate shared prosperity, ASEAN awareness and contact among the people of ASEAN. It was of this concern that ASEAN leaders established ASEAN Foundation in Jakarta, Indonesia, at ASEAN’s 30th Anniversary Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 15 December 1997. The ASEAN Foundation is an organization from and for the people of ASEAN. The Foundation exists because of one vision: to build a cohesive and prosperous ASEAN Community. As an ASEAN body, the Foundation is tasked to support ASEAN mainly in promoting awareness, identity, interaction, and development of the people of ASEAN.
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.
[1] Kearney. 2020. Al is integral to Southeast Asia’s future, but it is still in an early stage. Retrieved from: https://www.kearney.com/digital/article/?/a/racing-toward-the-future-artificial-intelligence-in-southeast-asia
