To date, over 6 million workers across APAC have acquired digital skills since the pandemic
Tech giants are extending their efforts to help companies across Asia boost their digital upskilling efforts. Microsoft and LinkedIn have announced plans to allow free access to online courses and low-cost certifications that align with the most in-demand jobs.
They’re also setting up a new foundation to offer employees a suite of tools and platforms to connect skilled jobseekers with employers.
“Skills will be the new currency in the post-pandemic world,” said Ahmed Mazhari, president at Microsoft Asia. “For us to emerge stronger from the pandemic, reskilling needs to be at the centre of our economic reset. Together with LinkedIn, we are doubling down our efforts to re-design work in the region.”
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They aim to support the development of a more inclusive skills-based labour market, while creating more alternative channels for employees, as well as offering greater flexibility and accessibility for learning opportunities. The end goal of the initiative is to connect people with new job opportunities.
Last week, Microsoft Corp. announced that they’ve helped over 30 million people worldwide gain access to digital skills, 6 million of whom are based in the Asia Pacific region. This exceeded their initial goal of 25 million last June. Microsoft have also extended their commitment to help 250,000 companies globally make a skills-based hire in 2021.
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LinkedIn on the other hand plans to help 250,000 firms globally make skills-based hires. The company will enable jobseekers to demonstrate their skills in ‘new ways’ and help employers connect to candidates based on their skill proficiencies.
“More and more, we are seeing skills-based hiring becoming critical in our world of work,” said Olivier Legrand, managing director & vice-president, Asia Pacific & China at LinkedIn. “We’ve seen people across the globe express a desire to learn and build their skills. And organisations are hiring based on skills instead of traditional qualifications.”
