In recent years, workers and businesses have faced a new reality. The labor market is constantly changing, at a rapid pace and in line with the evolution of technology. As a society, we are called upon to adapt to this new era by moving to a model of continuous education, acquisition and upgrading of new skills, professional mobility, and transition to new careers.
In this context, striving for new digital skills has double importance. On the one hand, it creates new opportunities for employees and unemployed people to develop professionally and improve their quality of life, and on the other hand, it responds to the market’s need to fill positions that require active use of new digital tools and technologies.
Digital skills are a key pillar of Microsoft’s GrforGrowth investment initiative that supports Greece in its digital transition and creates new growth opportunities. The company’s emphasis on digital skills is the following: According to Microsoft’s Digital Futures Index, which reveals correlations between digitalization and economic and social benefits, people living in countries with higher levels of digital skills and active use of digital technology are more productive, earn more, produce more innovation, and have better quality of life.
In the context of GrforGrowth, Microsoft has set an extremely ambitious goal for Greece: To provide 100,000 digital skills trainings by 2025 in collaboration with institutions and organizations. Already, today, more than 40,000 people have benefited, among them 10,000 young graduates, 5,000 executives and employees of the public administration and 1,000 unemployed.
Microsoft digital trainings are not only for people who are at the peak of their business and professional lives, but are provided to everyone, according to their needs.
For example, the DiGiYouth Initiative, a partnership between Microsoft and ReGeneration, offers unique education and employment opportunities for young graduates, with the aim of reducing youth unemployment. The program focuses on learning and developing highly sought-after digital skills (up/reskilling) and has been created to substantially help participants in their professional steps, placing them later in key positions in the labor market.
The programs are accessible to young people from all over the country – the academies that have already been completed include, among others, beneficiaries from Drama, Crete, Rhodes, Serres, Patras and Thessaloniki. This is an initiative addressed to every corner of mainland and island of Greece.
All graduates – 100% – from DiGiYouth Academies such as “ReGeneration Academy 4 Women in Tech” and “ReGeneration Academy on Cloud Tools & Technology”, have already found work and now fill organic positions in small and large businesses throughout Greece.
Digital skills bring more women to tech
GrforGrowth’s main goal is to help more women work in the technology sector. After all, women appear ready to meet this challenge, as long as the right opportunities are available. A typical example is the extremely high participation of women in different skills learning programs supported by Microsoft: 54% of the beneficiaries of the Program implemented in collaboration with Labor Office, aiming at the reintegration of unemployed into the labor market, were women. More than 640 women – young university graduates – benefited from the digital training programs implemented in the framework of GrforGrowth, in collaboration with ReGeneration.
In the above two programs, as well as in many other similar free training programs that Microsoft offers through GrforGrowth, no programming knowledge is required. However, participation in them increases the possibilities and opportunities for a woman to claim jobs in a market that is “thirsty” for specific specializations.
Digital skills are also essential for sustainable development
Green digital skills are becoming increasingly essential for the transition of businesses to a more sustainable future, in every sector of the economy. However, there is a serious shortage of such skills in the labour market. According to the LinkedIn Green Jobs report, while green jobs grew at an annual rate of 8% between 2015 and 2021, the corresponding talent pool grew by only 6%.
Microsoft, recognizing that technology and digital skills are a valuable tool for sustainable development, now offers free training and certification in “Green Skills” in Greek as well.
Training and certification are available to everyone through the Microsoft Sustainability Learning Centre, LinkedIn and Inco Academy and are an ideal opportunity for both new graduates and SMEs aiming to upskill their employees.
These training programs equip beneficiaries with know-how to create sustainable digital solutions and in particular for sustainable design strategies, creating more environmentally friendly services, solutions and products and exploiting digital data, in order to reduce the negative footprint on the environment.
*Source: CNN Greece
