Over 150K Filipinos Acquire Digital Skills During Pandemic

As we trudge on the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic, many people have shifted to working from home. They sought to acquire digital skills with online courses in order to thrive in the new normal. With that, Microsoft Corporation and LinkedIn launch the next stage to help job seekers and employers move to a skills-based economy.

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Filipinos Acquire Digital Skills to Make the Shift to Online Jobs

Microsoft Corp. announced that it has helped over 30 million people in 249 countries and territories gain access to digital skills. More than 150,000 of them are from the Philippines. 

This tops its initial goal of 25 million last June.

Microsoft Corp. is also extending its commitment to help 250,000 companies globally make skills-based hiring in 2021. 

From laid-off factory workers, retail associates, to truck drivers, millions took virtual learning courses from GitHub, LinkedIn, and Microsoft during quarantine. These helped prepare for and secure the most in-demand roles online.

Some of the skills learned included customer service, project management, and data analysis.

The Skills Currency

The announcement, which was detailed on the Official Microsoft Blog, helped people by extending free LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn courses through 2021. This includes low-cost certifications that align with 10 of the most in-demand online jobs.

The next stage of the initiative sets a new foundation for a skills-based economy. They will employ a suite of new tools and platforms designed to connect skilled job seekers with employers.  

“Skills will be the new currency in the post-pandemic world. Over the past year, we’ve seen the pandemic affect people all across the world, including those who could bear it the least.” This was revealed by Microsoft Asia President Ahmed Mazhari. 

“For us to emerge stronger from the pandemic, reskilling needs to be at the center of our economic reset. 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.” 

Working with LinkedIn

LinkedIn plans to help 250,000 companies globally by making skills-based hires this year. The company will provide both new ways for job seekers to demonstrate their skills and new tools for employers to connect to candidates.

Microsoft is bringing together every part of the company to supplement LinkedIn’s work to promote far-reaching digital skills opportunities. The will provided Career Coach — a Microsoft Teams for Education app powered by LinkedIn that provides personalized guidance for higher education students.

Career Coach offers educational institutions a unified career solution for students to help them discover their goals, interests, and skills using an AI-based skills identifier.  

Olivier Legrand, Managing Director & Vice-President, Asia Pacific & China, LinkedIn said, “More and more, we are seeing skills-based hiring becoming critical in our world of work. We’ve seen people across the globe express a desire to learn and build their skills, and organizations too, are hiring based on skills instead of traditional qualifications.”

He adds, “LinkedIn, together with Microsoft, are committed to helping everyone shift 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.” 

Furthermore, Microsoft has worked closely with its nonprofit partners to help provide wrap-around support with coaching, mentoring, and networking. Nearly 6 million learners worldwide will acquire digital skills and benefit from this.

Our New Future

Microsoft will apply these lessons more broadly and is announcing a new online service, Career Connector. This will provide 50,000 job seekers worldwide with the opportunity to secure a tech-enabled job over the next three years.

It will focus on learners who have built skills via Microsoft’s nonprofit and learning partners. They will also give emphasis on women and underrepresented minorities in technology.