- Microsoft, JA Asia Pacific and CloudSwyft partner to launch skilling program in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- The program aims to involve over 60,000 participants, including 10,000 of which will be from Indonesia
Indonesia, 30 March 2021 – Microsoft has partnered with JA Asia Pacific, the world’s largest youth-serving non-profit organization, and CloudSwyft, a leading cloud-based learning platform provider, to launch a regional skilling program aimed at bringing skills resources and accelerating paths to employment for more than 60,000 people in Asia Pacific.
Launching in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, the program will see joint efforts to reskill, cross-skill and upskill young adults, especially those in underserved communities. This program is an extension of Microsoft’s broader Global Skilling Initiative to help people hardest hit by job losses acquire digital skills.
“Business and organizations all around the globe have transformed, adopting new technologies to continue operating under unprecedented circumstances brought forth by COVID-19,” said Haris Izmee, President Director Microsoft Indonesia. “But this is not limited to just digital transformation, as we have also seen an evolution in the roles and responsibilities of employees working within an organization. Digital skills have become infused in many of the jobs available today, necessitating upskilling and reskilling to ensure employability and continued success in any given career. We are proud to partner with JA Asia Pacific and CloudSwyft, to continue bringing much-needed support and development to talent in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.”
Supporting talent through skilling for tech career tracks
The program is projected to involve over 60,000 participants from across the region in the first year, including 10,000 participants from Indonesia. They will begin their training with an orientation via webinars, introducing them to career paths involving digital skills, data science courses as well lab assessments by CloudSwyft, to assess learning and understanding. These courses will also be offered in local languages including Bahasa, easing the barrier to entry and make it more accessible to everyone.
Participants who complete the orientation will receive digital credentials, certified by Microsoft, JA Asia Pacific and CloudSwyft, to showcase on their professional portfolio and LinkedIn profile.
Following the orientation, participants can select a learning path of their choice based on five different career tracks, namely data analyst, data scientist, development operations, software developer and IT support. Each career track requires between 10 to 20 hours of training, whilst providing participants with access to one hour of online mentoring. Once the course is completed, participants will receive another digital credential, certifying the completion of their career track, and acknowledging their newly learnt digital skills. All digital credentials offered under this program will be personalized with the participant’s name, and accredited by Microsoft, JA Asia Pacific and CloudSwyft.
Some of the participants who complete both the orientation and digital skills training will be given the opportunity further develop their soft skills and fast-track to job placements. Experts from JA Asia Pacific will provide in-person training and leverage their extensive public and private sector networks to identify relevant job opportunities for these participants, so that they can gain job placements by the end of the year.
“As an organization dedicated to empowering youth and preparing them for the jobs of the future, we understand the hurdles people are currently facing when it comes to employment and employability,” said Maziar Sabet, President and CEO of JA Asia Pacific. “We share a common goal with our partners Microsoft and CloudSwyft, in that we want to continue empowering and grooming local talent for the jobs of the future. With 2021 signifying a fresh start for many, we hope to provide more avenues for those who need support through skills training and mentorship, ultimately leading to greater career success and satisfaction.”
Also commenting on the partnership is Dann Angelo De Guzman, Founder and CEO of CloudSwyft, “Part and parcel of every person’s professional growth is upskilling. It is never a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’, and for many – the time is now. As the battle against COVID-19 rages on, more and more organizations are turning to technology to mitigate the disruption caused and continue operating under the given circumstances. These technologies are intended to sustain businesses, but they can only do so effectively with the right talent on-board. In addition to providing crucial digital skills training to communities in Indonesia, our skilling program will be invaluable in supporting business and economic growth, preparing a future-ready workforce to catapult the nation to future success.”
Extending our commitment to Microsoft’s Global Skilling Initiative
In tandem with this program, Microsoft is extending its Global Skilling Initiative by bringing skills resources to everyone, everywhere and meeting them where they are. All of the courses that align to 10 of the most in-demand jobs as well as critical soft skills and digital transformation courses on LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn will continue to be made free till the end of 2021. Microsoft will further extend the low-cost certification offer to students, on top of the commitment to people whose jobs and livelihoods were disrupted by COVID-19.
Learners on LinkedIn Learning can also look forward to a new skills insight feature which will surface the fastest growing and most common skills needed based on their current role to help them better understand the skills gaps they need to fill to progress in their role.
To support job seekers and career changers find new doors of opportunities, the LinkedIn’s Skills Path program will introduce a new system of skills-first hiring that helps companies find new talent pools of pre-qualified candidates with the skills required for specific roles. The platform will also support job seekers in showcasing their skills and personality with a new profile cover story video feature that enables people share their passions, experiences, and skills.
“In the past year, we’ve seen the eagerness people have in gaining new skills but in many ways our ambitions are larger than this. We will continue to build on everything we have today, future-proofing our talent with skills development content and pathways to new careers, through stronger partnerships with governments and non-profits. Together, we can address and close the skills gap, create more opportunities for individuals, and advance an inclusive economic recovery,” concluded Haris.
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About Microsoft
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