How Microsoft Empowers Indonesia with a Digital Skills Initiative

Microsoft is a digital tech company with a mission to help build a greater Indonesia. Microsoft products are widely used in our daily lives, both at work and in education. As technology has the ability to change the world, then it’s our responsibility to empower the future according to  Microsoft.

On March 19, 2021, BINUS Business School and BINUS Graduate Program held the second session of the ‘Connecting the Dots’ webinar series. Ricky Haryadi (Partner Technology Lead of Microsoft Indonesia) was invited to be the keynote speaker. Ricky Haryadi is an alumnus of the Master of Management program at BINUS Business School.

In this webinar, Ricky shared information about the Microsoft Digital Skills Initiative that was opened specifically to help Indonesians develop their skills and empower Indonesia’s economy as a whole.

For Jobseekers

One of the strategies compiled in the Microsoft Digital Skills Initiative is support for job seekers. What tools can job seekers utilize? They can develop general and technical skills without boundaries. They can directly access opportunity.linkedin.com where they are granted free access to LinkedIn Learning, use job search and networking tools from LinkedIn, and join virtual interview exercises with an AI bot. By participating in LinkedIn courses, you will get badges that you can display on your LinkedIn profile.

As for technical skills, you can visit microsoft.com/learn to access the interactive self-learning and hands-on labs to learn new skills based on the profession you choose. Those who are interested in programming can study for free at lab.github.com. Microsoft also offers discounts for Microsoft Certification that will help expand your employability. This offer will last until December 2021, so make sure not to miss it.

For students & educators

For educators, you are free to get official certifications to become Microsoft Certified Educators. These certifications can be turned into digital badges which you can attach to your CV, LinkedIn profile, or work portfolio. Moreover, there’s Microsoft Learn for Educators platform at aka.ms/LearnForEducators that will help educators to compile a curriculum, perform self-development training, and use various tools to help the learning processes in class.

Not just that, there’s Artificial Intelligence Business School available at aka.ms/aiBusinessSchool, a partnership with INSEAD, with free access for both educators and students. Specifically for students, feel free to join the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador program where students can get the certification, free tools, and connections with worldwide student communities.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft Learn for Students platform at aka.ms/LearnForStudents can make it easier for students to access learning content made with a gamification concept, so students can learn and have fun at the same time. All these offers are free of charge, accessible anywhere, and any time.

For governments & non-profits

Microsoft also expands its partnership with the government and non-profit organizations (NPO) where they can access research data owned by Microsoft. These data can be utilized by the government for many things, such as increasing skills funding for individuals, creating incentives for employers, leveraging data and innovation, and designing government policy.

NPOs play the role of bridge to help bring Microsoft initiatives to those in need. The goal is to help job seekers complete learning paths and certification, tailor learning content, provide connections to employment opportunities, and career mentorship.

For employers

The most important thing that needs to be done by every company is to reflect on themselves; have they reached the commitment to keep providing training programs for their employees? This is what Microsoft Digital Skills Initiative wants to emphasize for companies in Indonesia. There are three crucial points that hopefully will be accepted by companies who join the Microsoft Digital Skills Initiative.

First, the commitment to keep empowering employees. Second, a work-based learning program for people with non-traditional backgrounds. Lastly, practices to hire based on skills instead of education.