- Program to provide free access to 350 courses, six new Career Essentials Certificates, and 50,000 LinkedIn Learning Scholarships that unlock opportunities to learn from experts and boost employment possibilities
- More than 534,000 engaged learners in Thailand to-date under Skills for Jobs program
Bangkok, 28 December 2022 – Microsoft and LinkedIn announced the next step in the Skills for Jobs program, providing free access to 350 courses and six new Career Essentials Certificates for six of the most in-demand jobs in the digital economy. Microsoft and LinkedIn will also be offering 50,000 LinkedIn Learning scholarships to help people get ahead in their skilling journey while also opening up new possibilities in their careers.
By 2025, Microsoft will help train and certify 10 million people with skills for in demand jobs. This announcement builds on the Global Skills Initiative, which helped 80 million jobseekers around the world access digital skilling resources. To date, Microsoft has engaged 14 million learners in Asia via LinkedIn, Microsoft Learn and non-profit skilling efforts. Of this, more than 534,000 learners were from Thailand.
Using data from LinkedIn and the Burning Glass Institute, Microsoft analyzed job listings to determine six of the roles in greatest demand for the program: Administrative Professional, Project Manager, Business Analyst, Systems Administrator, Software Developer or Data Analyst. On the local front, the top six LinkedIn Learning Pathways were: Critical Soft Skills, Project Manager, Digital Marketing Specialist, Financial Analyst, Data Analyst, and Sales Development Representative
The new Career Essentials Certificates are designed to help learners bridge the gap from basic digital literacy to more advanced technical skills training and gain certifications that will be valuable to securing employment. Once a learning pathway is completed, learners will receive a LinkedIn badge to denote their certificate and indicate fluency in the skillset to employers.
This expansion builds on Microsoft’s commitment to empowering an inclusive economic opportunity so learners around the world have equitable access to the skills, technology, and opportunity needed to succeed in a digitizing economy. All courses are available on LinkedIn at opportunity.linkedin.com. In addition, Microsoft-developed courses are also available on Microsoft Community Training (MCT) and in downloadable format for use on other Learning Management Systems (LMS) for nonprofit partners.
Dhanawat Suthumpun, Managing Director of Microsoft Thailand, said: “Statistics from the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) show that Thailand’s digital economy is likely to grow by a double-digit rate in 2023[1]. Regardless of the economic situation, Microsoft remains as committed as ever to be part of the force behind Thailand’s development – from world-class technologies that offer trustworthy security standards, a wide network of partners that help drive digital transformation nationwide, and an ongoing drive to upskill and reskill 10 million Thais. These additional courses from LinkedIn reaffirms our pledge to Thailand – a promise to help Thai people, businesses, and the economy to grow with confidence into the era of ‘Born in Thailand’ innovations.”
Earlier this year, Microsoft Thailand announced the success of its “Accelerating Thailand” program. First launched in 2020, the program represents a key pillar in Microsoft’s efforts to enhance digital skills across the Thai workforce in a concerted effort with depa; Department of Skill Development; Office of the Non-Formal and Informal Education; Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (Public Organization); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); JobsDB Recruitment (Thailand) Limited; and Thai Fund Foundation. With 280,000 Thais already engaged online and offline, the “Accelerating Thailand” program is now in its second phase with the target of upskilling a further 200,000 Thais in 2022.
To access skill development programs and materials, which are available to the public free of charge, interested persons can visit the online platforms of the following program partners. Learners will also receive a certification upon completion of the courses.
- UNESCO: https://lll-olc.net/th/
- depa: www.digitalskill.org/
- Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (Public Organization): https://e-training.tpqi.go.th/
- Department of Skill Development: Online Training
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[1] Reference: Royal Thai Government