Microsoft to empower 2.5M Southeast Asians with AI skills by 2025

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Tech giant Microsoft has committed to equipping 2.5 million Southeast Asian people with AI skills by 2025.

Per a statement, the skilling initiatives will be implemented in partnership with governments, nonprofit and corporate organisations and communities across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The new programme aligns with the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 to build an AI-ready talent pool in the region.

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Microsoft’s skilling initiatives will focus on four areas: building an inclusive, AI-ready workforce; bridging the cybersecurity talent gap; enhancing developers’ AI skills; and empowering nonprofit organisations to maximise their social impact.

Building an inclusive, AI-ready workforce

Microsoft will help strengthen vocational education systems across the region to provide AI skills in partnership with the ASEAN Foundation and education ministries in the ten member states, benefitting an estimated 644,000 vocational students.

Through the AI TEACH for Indonesia and AI TEACH Malaysia programmes, Microsoft and the foundation will provide technical and vocational education and training students with AI skills. Microsoft is also training and educating 100,000 underserved youths and job seekers in AI, data, and security through its partnership with Kartu Prakerja, a pre-employment programme in Indonesia.

In addition, the software honcho is launching the AI Skills for the AI-enabled Tourism Industry programme to skill 100,000 young entrepreneurs involved in tourism businesses across minor-tier geographic provinces in all five regions of Thailand.

In the Philippines, it aims to equip 1 million Department of Education learners from kindergarten to grade 12 with AI and cybersecurity skills, ensuring their readiness for future careers and employment opportunities. Furthermore, it will strengthen its collaboration with the nation’s Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) by investing in a new initiative to equip 100,000 TESDA female learners with AI and cybersecurity skills.

Microsoft will also expand its partnership with the UNDP Asia Pacific in Indonesia to Malaysia and Vietnam, helping 570,000 youth from underserved communities enhance their employability and work readiness through access to AI fluency skills.

Helping bridge the cybersecurity talent gap

Under its Ready4AI&Security programme, Microsoft will train 15,000 young individuals in Indonesia and Malaysia, focusing on providing opportunities for women to build cybersecurity careers. This will include access to Microsoft’s Security training and certifications. The region is experiencing the largest skills gap in its cybersecurity workforce globally, with a shortfall of 2.7 million people in 2023.

Enhancing developers’ AI skills to foster innovation

Microsoft has launched the Asia AI Odyssey campaign to support the ASEAN region’s seven million-strong developer community, highlighting how Microsoft’s AI Applied Skills validate the specific technical competencies required to build transformative AI applications. The campaign runs across Asia and aims to train 30,000 developers in ASEAN countries, encouraging greater use of AI services in the digital economy.

Also Read: AI: Boon or bane? Workers fear job loss despite productivity gains

Empowering nonprofit organisations to maximise their social impact

The company will also provide nonprofits in ASEAN countries access to the Microsoft Resources Hub and the LinkedIn for Nonprofits Resource Hub to help maximise their social impact and lead change in the AI era.

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