Colleges and universities team up with Microsoft

Microsoft Corp. announced new partnerships with globalhigher education institutions to align and integrate Microsoft’s technicalskills programs and credentials to help address the growing 21st century talentgap. The skills programs will help students prepare for the jobs of tomorrowwith in-demand technologies in fields like artificial intelligence, computerscience, cybersecurity and data science.

Across the globe, there’s a growing skills gap thatthreatens to inhibit economic growth for workers, businesses and governments.According to ManpowerGroup’s Talent Shortage Survey, approximately 45 percentof employers report that skill shortages have a negative impact on theirbusinesses. Microsoft is helping to prepare students and the world’s workforceto effectively move from the classroom to a 21st century career. The use ofMicrosoft courses by colleges and universities will provide cost-effectiveeducational choices for students, helping them acquire the skills needed to fillthe looming skills gap emerging across the global economy.

“The incredible transformation we’re witnessing in the 21stcentury workplace calls out the need for organizations — governments, highereducation institutions, employers, the nonprofit sector — to step up and tackleone of the fundamental challenges of our time: closing the skills gap byteaching, training and preparing workers for the jobs of tomorrow,” said KarenKocher, general manager, 21st Century Jobs, Skills and Employability,Microsoft.

Among the first higher education institutions to collaboratewith Microsoft are:

Microsoft’s technical skilling programs prepare workers forin-demand job roles at the forefront of technology, such as data science, AIengineering and Internet of Things (IoT) administration. By creating blendedlearning programs that include Microsoft technical skills programs, highereducation institutions help students and workers earn an industry credentialand college credits at the same time, supporting students’ acquisition ofskills to help them access new opportunities with the latest technology intoday’s rapidly changing workforce.

“Our mission at the University of London is to developinternationally aware, innovative and employable graduates,” said ProfessorMary Stiasny OBE, pro-vice-chancellor (International), University of London.“When our students work toward and achieve these ends at university before theyenter the workplace, we realize our mission and our graduates can thrive. Forthis reason, we are particularly excited about our collaboration with Microsoftand its potential to help our students meet and exceed the changing needs ofthe 21st century workplace.”

In addition, in support of assisting students and workers inobtaining the skills and credentials they need for employability, Microsoft hasworked with the National College Credit Recommendation Service to determinecollege credit equivalencies for its technical skills programs, including newMicrosoft Azure role-based certifications. Courses offered by Microsoft,including data science, AI, IoT, cybersecurity and computer science, among others,are now eligible to earn college credit at participating universities.

Additional collaborations with universities, colleges andother degree-granting institutions are in development and will be announced inthe near future.