NEW YORK and REDMOND, Wash., June
28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, the Markle Foundation
and Microsoft Corp. announced a three-year partnership to expand
Markle's Skillful initiative, a data-driven approach to connecting
American workers and businesses in a rapidly evolving labor market.
While advances in technology have helped the economy overall, some
American workers are being displaced. Jobs in growing sectors
increasingly require new skills earned through a post-secondary
degree, certificate or credentialing program. Particularly
vulnerable are the nearly seven out of 10 Americans who have
transferable skills, but not a four-year college degree.
In response, Microsoft's corporate giving arm Microsoft
Philanthropies is making a significant investment to expand
Skillful, which was launched in Colorado in 2016. Skillful brings together key
players across the labor market — employers, state and federal
governments, LinkedIn, educators, and workforce centers — to help
American workers adapt to the changing workplace. Skillful's
coaches and online services enable job seekers to learn what skills
are in demand, and access professional training at any stage of
their career. At the same time, Skillful aligns employers and
educators so that their training programs teach the skills required
to succeed in today's digital economy.
Starting by expanding throughout Colorado and then moving to additional states,
the partnership aims to create a skills-based labor market model
that can be replicated across the U.S. to help millions of
Americans overcome barriers to obtaining better-paying jobs. In
addition to its $25.8 million
investment, Microsoft Philanthropies brings to the partnership
decades of experience in providing digital skills training for
individuals, as well as learning tools for coaches, educators and
employers.
"Millions of Americans don't have the information, tools or
skills needed to succeed in the digital economy. We urgently
need to transform the labor market so everyone can compete with
equal dignity for today's jobs," said Zoë Baird, CEO and
president of the Markle Foundation. "We are living in a time of
economic change as sweeping as the Industrial Revolution, and this
innovative partnership with Microsoft will help jobseekers and
employers rise to this profound challenge."
"There are 7.3 million fewer jobs in the United States today for people with a high
school degree or less than there were in 1989. At the same
time, 6 million jobs in our country go unfilled due in large part
to a shortage of skilled workers. This mismatch is leaving workers
on the sidelines and employers without the talent they need to run
their operations," said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft.
"Skillful is building an entire ecosystem to close this gap,
helping Americans find and train for better-paying jobs, while
connecting employers with the talent they need to thrive in the
digital economy."
In Colorado, Skillful is
already leveraging data and technology tools such as LinkedIn's
Training Finder to help workers find training and support to
prepare them for growth jobs in their community.
"Skillful has helped jobseekers in Colorado develop the skills they need to
succeed in an increasingly tech-driven workplace and helped
employers connect with these talented job seekers," said
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. "Microsoft's investment
will bring these benefits to even more workers and companies across
the state. Together, we can provide opportunity for income growth
and career satisfaction for every Coloradan. I look forward to
seeing Skillful serve as a model for the rest of the country."
"Today, you can't read, listen or watch the news without coming
across a story about how technology is displacing jobs. And while
there has been a lot of debate about whether or not skills gaps
exist, the fact remains there were a record number of open jobs in
the United States in April," said
LinkedIn Co-Founder and Vice President of Product Management Allen
Blue. "That's why the work Skillful is doing is so critical — it
applies insights, technology and boots on the ground to help people
learn the skills they need to qualify for jobs employers are having
a hard time filling. Our work in Colorado is proof that while technology is
displacing jobs, it's also helping us upskill people and get them
back to work."
More about the benefits of a skills-based labor market in
creating opportunities for millions of Americans can be learned by
watching Microsoft's and Markle's joint video.
About Markle
The Markle Foundation works to realize the potential of
information technology as a breakthrough tool for some of the
nation's most challenging problems. An operating foundation, Markle
has worked in partnerships to create policy and technology
architecture that has enabled improvements in healthcare, national
security, and access to the Internet, Markle's priority today is to
provide Americans with access to good jobs and enable people to
prepare for today's rapidly changing digital economy, as
articulated in its book America's Moment. For more
information, visit markle.org, Skillful.com and follow
@MarkleFdn and @JoinSkillful on Twitter.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) is the
leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first,
cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and
every organization on the planet to achieve more.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.