With the pandemic halting the fast-pacing world we’re living in, most of us sought to the internet for work to continue provide and support our everyday life. Recently, Microsoft Corp. has announced that it has helped over 150,000 people in the Philippines acquire digital skills during the height of COVID-19.
According to the Official Microsoft Blog, a new generation of 21st century infrastructure calls for new investments that will broaden access to the digital devices and broadband connectivity that have become the lifeblood of commerce, healthcare and education. During the worldwide pandemic, millions of people turned to using online courses from GitHub, LinkedIn, and Microsoft, in particular, to aid them in preparing for service, project management, data analysis, and sales roles, among others.
Helping over 30 million people in 249 countries and territories with Filipinos part of the numbers, Microsoft Corp. continues its pursuit towards the shifting to a skill-based economy as they commits to help more companies globally switch to skill-based hire by 2021.
“For us to emerge stronger from the pandemic, reskilling needs to be at the center of our economic reset,” said Microsoft Asisa President Ahmed Mazhari, “Together with LinkedIn, we are doubling down our efforts to re-design work in the region by supporting the development of a more inclusive skills-based labor market, creating more alternatives, greater flexibility, and accessible learning paths that connect people more readily with new job opportunities.”
LinkedIn intends to assist 250,000 businesses worldwide in making skills-based hires this year via new and existing hiring products. The company will utilize new methods for job applicants to assess their capabilities and new tools for connections with employers, such as these:
The Pilot of LinkedIn Skills Path
Skills Path combines LinkedIn Learning courses and Skill Assessments to assist recruiters in sourcing candidates more fairly by focusing according on their demonstrated skills.
New Expressive and Personalized LinkedIn Profile Features
It aims to assist job seekers in sharing their long-term goals and plans This video can benefit both job seekers and job recruiters. 75% of hiring managers think resumes should be tailored to show hard skills only
Expanded Access to LinkedIn’s Skills Graph
This will contribute to the development of a unified language of skills among individuals, businesses, educational institutions, and government organizations.
Microsoft is also expected to bring in Career Coach that provides educational institutions with a career guidance solution using an AI-integrated skills identifier and LinkedIn to focus on developing their long-world career and educating students on what they’re really need to know
This is a critical part of Microsoft’s nation-building in the Philippines, Para sa Bayan program targets to increase digital transformation, reduce digital skills gap, and enhance employment and societal impact. To play a major role in education, it works closely with the Department of Education (DEPED). CO19 and DEPED initiated a project to provide free Microsoft accounts to over 20 million public students and 900,000 teachers to the entire country.
Teachers over 400,000 have been trained in the Office 365 education tools as of now. Microsoft is continuously works with DEPED on initiatives to provide Filipinos with relevant digital training. In the process, to increase the employability of Filipinos, various projects in tandem with the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, Grab Philippines, and the IT and Process Association of the Philippines are being initiated.
“LinkedIn, together with Microsoft, are committed to helping everyone shift
Olivier Legrand, Managing Director & Vice-President, Asia Pacific &
towards a skills-based economy. In 2021, we will continue our efforts to equip jobseekers
with the right resources to pick up new skills, and connect them to opportunities, as well as
aim to help 250,000 organizations make a skills-based hire.”
China, LinkedIn
