Microsoft plans to provide digital skills training for 25 million people this year under a new, multi-million dollar initiative that will bring together multiple branches of the company, including LinkedIn and GitHub.

A new LinkedIn dashboard will offer tracks like “Become a Software Developer” and “Become an IT administrator.”

The “learning paths” will provide online training for free through March 2021 in each field.

The digital skills taught through the initiative should help people find jobs that need to be filled, develops skills for jobs, and obtain certifications at a low cost.

There will be opportunities to practice the skills in GitHub’s Learning Lab.

In addition to the free resources, Microsoft will offer low-cost certifications required to fill tech roles.

The certifications are based on exams that determine a student’s skill in Microsoft technologies. They will be available for a discounted fee of $15 to anyone whose employment has been impacted by COVID-19. The exams ordinarily cost more than $100, according to Microsoft.

A news post from Microsoft outlines three areas that the resources will help with: • The use of data to identify in-demand jobs and the skills needed to fill them. • Free access to learning paths and content to help people develop the skills these positions require. • Low-cost certifications and free job-seeking tools to help people who develop these skills pursue new jobs.

As part of the initiative, people have access to content on LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, and the GitHub Learning Lab.

Microsoft Certifications and LinkedIn job seeking tools resources can be accessed on LinkedIn's website: https://opportunity.linkedin.com/

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