Microsoft calls for skills crisis action

UK training push called for during Government leaders forum

Microsoft and a roster of partners have detailed plans for improving the employability of UK citizens at the Government Leaders Forum Europe in Edinburgh.

The software giant announced two new programmes that will join its range of initiatives to train workers. The first of these is the Industry Alliance for Sustainable Jobs, a public-private partnership aimed at delivering IT training to 100,000 Scottish citizens by 2010. The alliance is in cooperation with Cisco and LearnDirect
Scotland. The second is a pact with financial services firm State Street and Fairbridge, a non-governmental organisation aimed at providing disadvantaged youths
with ICT skills.

“Employablity is key to Europe and key to our success,” said Jean-Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft International. “This is a time to step up because 18 percent of our European human capital is not economically productive.”

Marianne Kolding, IDC associate vice-president, said ICT skills had become the “entry ticket” to almost any new job and presented research suggesting 40 percent
of European employers would not consider a job candidate without ICT skills. Even manual tasks in areas such as stocktaking and logistics were beginning
to demand computer skills, she added.
The new initiatives come as delegates at the Edinburgh event heard numerous European political leaders call for radical change to face off the threats caused by
offshoring to lower-cost countries, fading traditional industries and a declining birth rate and longer life expectancy in Europe.

Former Netherlands prime minister Wim Kok said, “There is still a lack of real insight into the challenges Europe will face in the near future and business leaders have a to play a part to educate. Europe has to strengthen its knowledge economies and make
research and development investment top priority.”

As well as taking “risk-friendly attitudes” to businesses and training youngsters, governments would also need to provide more skills for mature workers as
they stay in employment for longer, Kok said.