IBM will collaborate with 30 global organizations in the education, nonprofit, government and employment agency sectors to launch a program to help underserved populations build up new and existing skills to become more employable.
IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna announced the initiative at VivaTech, an annual European tech and startup conference that took place in Paris last week, a day after the company marked the 110th anniversary of its founding.
“Closing the global skills gap is one of the most pressing issues of our time,” Krishna said. “That is why I’m proud of these collaborations, which will help people of all backgrounds acquire the skills they need to thrive in a fast-changing global economy.”
Through the partnership, organizations will utilize IBM SkillsBuild, an online learning program, to improve skills for women, veterans, minorities, refugees and unemployed young adults.
The organizations span 12 countries, including the U.S., India, Italy, Spain, Ireland, France, Turkey and Nepal.
The collaboration is part of the company’s effort to bring its SkillsBuild program education, which offers over 10,000 online courses in 141 countries, to 500,000 people by the end of 2021.
The programs are designed to take three to six months and would be taught in local languages with professional mentors; success will be measured through the acquisition of technical skills, badges and credentials.
ManPower Group, a global staffing firm, will contribute to the collaboration by connecting the program participants to career opportunities.
“Seventy percent of employers can’t find the skills they need for roles like data analytics, software development and remote customer service,” said Jonas Prising, chairman & CEO of ManPower Group.
“The only way we can address this acute talent shortage is through partnerships across business, government and education. That’s why we are pleased to partner with companies like IBM who share our mission to create a more skilled and diverse workforce, so everyone is able to have a more equitable share of prosperity.”
