MICROSOFT CORP. has partnered with JA Asia Pacific and听CloudSwyft听to provide a skilling program for young jobseekers in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Of the targeted 60,000 participants this year, 4,000 will be from the Philippines.听听

鈥淐OVID-19 has accelerated the shift towards a digital economy, and organizations here in the Philippines are requiring greater digital skills from talents so that their businesses can adapt and thrive in this new environment,鈥 said Andres听Ortola, Microsoft Philippines听general听manager, in a听recent听statement.听

The new program is an extension of Microsoft鈥檚 broader Global Skilling Initiative, which reported last month that over 150,000 Filipinos had gained digital skills via its online courses, to be offered until the end of 2021.听

Mr.听Ortola听added that 鈥渞eskilling, cross-skilling, and upskilling鈥 young adults should help them cope with job losses. The partners in this program are JA Asia Pacific,听a听youth-serving non-profit organization, and听CloudSwyft, a cloud-based learning platform provider.听听

The Department of Education (DepEd) will also assist in implementation.听鈥淭here are a lot of Filipinos, particularly from underprivileged communities, who are eager to learn so that they can have better lives and contribute to Philippine society,鈥 said听Zaldy听H.听Reliquias,听division听curriculum听chief of DepEd.听

As for the effects of skilling programs on jobseekers鈥 chances, last month鈥檚 Future in Talent report by professional networking site LinkedIn revealed that Philippine employers now value technical skills more highly than experience.听

Webinars offered in the program will include career path discussion, data science courses, and lab assessments by听CloudSwyft.听鈥淚n addition to providing crucial digital skills training to communities in the Philippines, our skilling program will be invaluable in supporting business and economic growth,鈥澨齭aid Dann Angelo De Guzman,听CloudSwyft听founder and chief executive officer.听

One indicator of such growth is the labor force participation rate (LFPR), which rose to 65% in March from 63.5% in February, according to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This means a total of 48.77 million Filipinos over 15 years old are either employed or looking for work, a record-high since the 65.2% LFPR in 2014.听

鈥淲e understand the hurdles people are currently facing when it comes to employment and employability,鈥 said Maziar Sabet, JA Asia Pacific听president and听chief听executive听officer.听鈥淲ith 2021 signifying a fresh start for many, we hope to provide more avenues for those who need support through skills training and mentorship.鈥听

Added听Mr.听Ortola听of Microsoft:听鈥淲e will continue to partner with the government, NGOs, and the private sector and increase our efforts to ensure that more Filipinos are equipped with the necessary digital skills for the present and the future.鈥澨鈥斕Bront毛 H. Lacsamana听

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR