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News from #DigitalRestart

News from #DigitalRestart

News from #DigitalRestart

One million people have acquired digital skills thanks to Microsoft initiatives and partners. The Objective for 2023 is to train 3 million Italians.

 

The Fondazione Mondo Digitale embarks on a new collaboration with the Rome Work Orientation Centres and the City Councils of Bari and Palermo to train young men and women and individuals in search of local employment with new digital skills. We have renewed our global and local commitment with LinkedIn and GitHub to provide on-line training courses for the professions most in demand: over 350,000 individuals reached in Italy.

 

Since the beginning of the project in 2018, one million individuals have been reached by the professional training and requalification programme organised as part of Ambizione Italia #DigitalRestart, the Microsoft initiative that aims to support the recovery and growth of the country through digital tools. The announcement of this results took place today at the Microsoft Skilling Day, an entire day dedicated to the initiatives organised by Microsoft Italia and its partners to promote the diffusion of digital skills.

 

What we have been experiencing over the past year is a period of great change in which digital tools have played a key role for enterprises, public administrations, governments and citizens. Indeed, digital tools will be increasingly strategic for the new phase of Italian growth and generate extraordinary opportunities. The job market is one of the environments most affected by this transformation. This new digital normality has created new professions and shed light on the need for new skills at all levels, from basic ones to continue working remotely to advanced ones to manage new business opportunities related to new technology and new work models.

 

It is in this context that Ambizione Italia #DigitalRestart aims not only to develop the first Microsoft Regional Data Centre in Italy and initiatives for companies to promote new digital business models, but also to focus heavily on education with training and updating courses for youth and working professionals.

 

In 2018, Microsoft Italia kicked off a wide range of national programmes to increase the diffusion of digital skills in demand on the labour market: in the world of education with “Ambizione Italia for Schools” alongside the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and developing Tech Academies with its local partners on innovative technology for professionals.

 

Today, the programme introduces other important collaborations and initiatives. 

 

“Italy is experiencing a unique paradox: on the one hand we have a significant request by companies for qualified professionals and, on the other, our unemployment rate remains one of the highest in Europe. It has been estimated that by 2024, we will require 1.5 million ICT specialists, and, 2.7 million jobs will require new skills, over the next five years, 50% of which will be digital. Thus, digital training is key to reducing the skills mismatch and make the country competitive again. Ambizione Italia #DigitalRestart aims to contribute to this end, but we need common commitment and synergic work amongst all market actors to ensure a better future for us and our youth,” explains Silvia Candiani, CEO, Microsoft Italia.   

 

Ambizione Italia for Youth: Microsoft Italia and the Fondazione Mondo Digitale work to train youth and citizens in Bari, Rome and Palermo.

 

A new collaboration with ANPAL to train NEETs as part of the European Youth Employment Support Programme.

 

Today, Microsoft Italia and the Fondazione Mondo Digitale presented Ambizione Italia for Youth, an educational programme addressing local actors working in training and skilling courses in metropolitan contexts. This is a strategic initiative to intercept the young men and women, as well as other citizens, who need to integrate or advance their competences and/or explore new professional sectors to efficiently access the labour market.

 

Following an initial experimentation of the programme with the Network of Rome’s Work Orientation Centres (COLs), the project will also be implemented in Bari together with Portafuturo, the council’s job centre, and in Palermo.

 

The programme initially addresses centre operators who will be trained on the use of digital tools for orientation, employment and user self-promotion, even remotely. Subsequently, the training will also be extended to other users so to intercept their various needs, from bridging gaps in know-how to advanced skills through specific courses. Courses will be available for various levels with free activities provided in a variety of ways (synchronous and asynchronous activities, proximate and distance learning).

 

Thanks to our collaboration with ANPAL, the project will also address NEETS as part of the European Youth Employment Support Programme to train specialised digital figures for SMEs. The objective is to provide men and women, aged 14 to 29, with a specific educational opportunity on new technology, a fundamental tool for the post-pandemic recovery of the country.

 

“The economic recovery of the country requires the participation of everyone. If we wish to avoid creating new inequality, digital transformation and sustainable development must become a single challenge to leverage human capital, invest in knowledge, skills and professional qualities. We are still in the middle of the health emergency, but thanks to Programme “Ambizione Italia for Youth” we will systematically promote active labour policy through a programme to train youth, involving companies and local administrations, even reaching the most fragile workers,” declared Mirta Michilli, Director General of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.

 

“Contrasting the unemployment of youth is one of the main challenges that we face in Italy. ANPAL, also thanks to the European Youth Employment Support Programme, will contribute with measures and actions to accompany the integration of young men and women into the labour market. Project “Ambizione Italia for Youth” addresses the strategic objective of developing digital skills that are constantly in greater demand on the labour market,” explained Paola Nicastro, Director General, ANPAL.

 

“Rome is strongly committed to supporting active labour policy through training and digitalisation, especially in this critical pandemic phase. In this context, the collaboration between the COL Network, Microsoft Italia and the Fondazione Mondo Digitale is strategic to raise the skill levels of our workers who help others look for employment on a market that is increasingly skills oriented. We are honoured to have kicked off this project that makes Rome the lead partners of a pilot project to help not only young men and women, but also all fragile categories,” declared Virginia Raggi, Mayor of Rome.

 

“We are proud that Microsoft has chosen the City of Bari, together with just two other cities in Italy to kick off this educational programme for the younger generations. This confirms that Bari is perceived as an attractive hub for investing in physical structures as well as skills and talent.  This totally free course will train young men and women as specialised figures for the digitalisation of SMEs and provide them with a portfolio of skills that will allow them to easily access the labour market. Digital transformation is a great opportunity for the country’s recovery, but in order to grasp it we need to focus on people and provide them with the tools necessary to become protagonists. Notwithstanding its limits, distance learning is allowing realities that have often been marginalised to access courses and opportunities that were unheard of just a few years ago. We have to cultivate this dimension and thoroughly exploit it. I am also happy about the enthusiasm with which the personnel at “Porta Futuro Bari” welcomed this opportunity and I am certain that their commitment will prove to be a success for the entire city,” said Eugenio Di Sciascio, Deputy Mayor of Bari.  

 

"In this phase during which digital transformation processes are impacting all sectors of society, it is essential that public administrations step forward and promote a culture of innovation. This evolution takes place through training programmes that aim to provide individuals with the digital skills that are required by the job market and the changes underway in society. A collaboration between the public and private sphere is fundamental in order to achieve this. We must work synergically to promote the opportunities generated by new digital trends and new technology. In Palermo, we are making great progress, as is witnessed by our leap forward in the classification of digital cities: a leap of 64 positions from 77th in 2019 to 13th in 2020. Our collaboration with Microsoft Italia and the Fondazione Mondo Digitale is a further step in this process through which we wish to help our citizens,” commented Paolo Petralia Camassa, Innovation Councillor, City of Palermo.

 

 

Further material and information are available here: LINK ONEDRIVE.

 

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