Technology is creating a new digital economy, full of economic opportunities. But for too many people across the Middle East and Africa (MEA), these opportunities remain out of reach because they lack the digital skills required to be successful in the new world of work.
In fact, 65 percent of employers and 59 percent of job seekers in the Middle East and North Africa believe there is a skills gap in the region. This is according to the latest Bayt.com and YouGov Middle East Skills Report, which also found that a quarter of job seekers believe that the education system doesn’t adequately equip students with skills relevant for today’s workplace.
There is an urgent need to realign the expectations and skillsets of young people with the rapidly evolving needs of employers, and ensure that the workforce of the future is equipped with the necessary skills for success.
Microsoft is committed to helping ensure all people—regardless of where they are in their careers — have access to the skills and knowledge needed to obtain and retain jobs that provide financial stability and the opportunity for personal growth.
Addressing this issue involves changing the way society educates and trains people, changing the way companies hire and support their employees, and evolving the technologies and systems that connect individuals to job opportunities.
Use this resource to explore some of the ways we are helping address the skills gap in MEA:
Cloud Society
Faizan Ahmed Masood was a Computer Science student majoring in software systems when he began freelancing online. While doing work for clients, he found it challenging to understand and extract the most useful information from raw data. That’s when he enrolled in the Microsoft Cloud Society programme. “AI is going to play a very important role in technology in the near future and machine learning is one of the most important parts of my job,” he says. “The Microsoft Cloud Society has helped me learn how to easily and confidently use these technologies to benefit an organisation.”
The Microsoft Cloud Society was created to upskill people already in the working world with vital cloud skills. The programme offers training and certification opportunities to people of any age working in the technology sector to help them be cloud-ready and advance their careers. Members, or “heroes,” of the Cloud Society can choose from a variety of free online learning courses and virtual workshops to train on Microsoft technologies at their own pace, in their own time. Microsoft Cloud Society Certificates are also awarded upon completion of each course, to boost career prospects.
In the Middle East and Africa region alone, the Cloud Society currently has over 106,000 users. Participating IT professionals credit the Cloud Society for not only helping them gain knowledge to prepare for the future of work, but also helping improve performance within their current roles.
Find out how to become a Microsoft Cloud Society Member here.
Student2Business
The Microsoft Student2Business Programme provides a great opportunity for youth to acquire experience at a leading technology company, and is perfect for graduates who have completed a three-year qualification in IT and Marketing.
The programme has helped youth like Sive Swartbooi, whose participation in the Microsoft Student2Business Program helped her land her dream job as a Business Analyst at a Microsoft partner. “Completing the programme made me more employable,” she says. “It taught me a wide array of skills such as advanced Microsoft Office usage, sales and customer service. We also received extensive training at a Microsoft accredited training provider, and learned soft skills like advanced negotiation, business etiquette and communication skills.”
Joseph Kabau shares similar sentiments. “The Microsoft Certification skills obtained through the Student2Business Programme laid a firm foundation for growth in my career,” he says. Joseph completed courses in Web Development, Software Fundamentals and HTML5 that has helped him land his dream job at a major South African company.
To apply for the Student2Business Programme, click here.
Interns4Afrika
Initiatives like Microsoft 4Afrika have upskilled over 1.6 million Africans through internships, mentorships, online learning platforms and more. For example, in 2017, Gilbert Ngetich was living in Gataka, a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. His brother worked as a security guard at a local bank, and Gilbert would often accompany him to work at night so that he could study in the men’s washroom. It was the only place with light and an electrical socket for his laptop.
Next to the bank was technology firm, M2M Systems Limited. After hearing about Gilbert from his brother, M2M put his name forward for the Microsoft Interns4Afrika programme. Gilbert was accepted and completed a six-month internship – where his technical, communication and problem-solving skills soon flourished.
Today, Gilbert works as a full-time Cloud Engineer for M2M Systems Limited.
This programme offers people like Gilbert the unique experience of working with a dynamic technology organisation on the African continent. Through this programme, youth will work for six months with a Microsoft partner on real projects, collaborating with and learning from their colleagues. The first month of the internship is dedicated to developing world-class business and technical skills. To date 752 interns have graduated from 170 host partners, with an 85 percent retention rate.
Find out more the Interns4Afrika programme here.
Career Pathways
The Microsoft Career Pathways programme was created specifically to addresses underserved or unemployed individuals without a four-year college degree who need the skills to gain and retain in-demand jobs. It’s aimed at youth who are neither in school nor in the workforce who need to be upskilled for employment.
The programme is also targeted towards underserved populations in the technology sector, including women, as well as traditionally under-represented populations in the local context, and individuals from low socio-economic means. The programme offers various Microsoft learning resources from formal technology certification exams, to free online courses and detailed learning paths that help youth gain in demand skills.
Read more about how Microsoft Career Pathways can you help you upskill here.
Microsoft AI Business School
The Microsoft AI Business School is a master class series for business leaders to successfully achieve real results from AI. It features lessons, insights and research-driven recommendations from executives and experts that have experience using AI to accelerate and drive their core business.
The AI Business School is available online to anyone, at no cost, in an easy-to-consume, on-demand format so business leaders and their employees can focus on the content that’s most relevant to them at the time that works best for them. The AI Business School is also updated regularly with new, relevant content as AI is a dynamic, ever-evolving approach to modern business.
Learn more about AI strategy, culture, responsibility, and technology through our insightful AI leadership series here.
Microsoft and GA AI skills programme
Microsoft and global education provider General Assembly (GA) also recently announced a partnership to close skills gaps in the rapidly growing fields AI, cloud and data engineering, machine learning, data science, and more. This initiative will create standards and credentials for AI skills, upskill and reskill 15,000 workers by 2022, and create a pool of AI talent for the global workforce. The joint programme will focus on three core areas: setting the standards for AI skills, developing scalable AI training solutions for companies, and creating a sustainable talent pool of workers with AI skills.
Learn more about this partnership here.
