Microsoft launch free online courses to help people learn skills to land digital jobs amid COVID

Microsoft today launched StepIn2Tech, a free online training programme that will help equip 10,000 people with the digital skills needed to work in emerging fields as working from home looks set to continue.

Developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, StepIn2Tech is designed to support anyone who is interested in developing their digital skills.

It’s particularly focused on supporting those who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic and are now looking to reset their plans by pursuing new career opportunities in the digital economy.

The programme will match the in-demand skills from the industry, and will also provide one-to-one advice and mentoring from Fastrack to IT’s Digi-Chaperones and guidance and support from Microsoft employees on soft skills development such as interview techniques and CV writing.

Each course is completed online and at a learner’s own pace. Participants will develop the technical and soft skills required to either gain an entry-level role in the rapidly growing parts of the economy – either directly in a technology company or within traditional sectors that are becoming increasingly digitised.

Speaking about the initiative, Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland, said:

“The pandemic has resulted in thousands of people being displaced either temporarily or permanently from their jobs across the hospitality, retail and tourism sectors in particular.

“While managing public health remains a priority, there is also now a focus on driving an inclusive and sustainable economic recovery.

“The reality is that this recovery will have digital at its core as the economy is increasingly powered by technology.

“The acceleration in digital transformation of traditional and new companies and sectors over recent months has unlocked new areas of employment – ranging from digital marketing to cloud services.

“We have partnered with Fastrack to IT to create a bespoke reskilling programme with the support of Prodigy Learning that equips those recently made unemployed or temporarily displaced with the digital skills that match today’s and tomorrow’s in-demand jobs.

“For many people, they won’t previously have considered a role in technology. The StepIn2Tech courses are designed to show people that technology is now part of almost every job – and having even basic digital skills opens up loads of opportunities.

“This is about accessible learning, with plenty of supports for people who are new to the area.”

How to get an entry-level Digital Marketing Jobs

It seems hard and challenging to get your first job in digital marketing without the necessary professional experience and level of experience in these technical skills on your CV to start with. a lot of candidates are already applying for such jobs and it generates a lot of complaints from recruiters due to the issues raised after hiring them.

the issue is you can’t get that experience without having a job in the same area. that’s the dilemma, add to it the opportunity to work in the big companies where the experience will help promote your job search for future opportunities. that is why it is important to start in a smaller position until you can prove yourself in the job market.

interestingly, the change in the digital marketing industry has increased recently due to artificial intelligence and the powerful software that replaces long hours from digital marketing professionals. digital marketing agencies are also increasingly replacing the jobs of many digital marketing specialists without the companies due to the scale of business and operation that can be achieved by these agencies versus a handful of digital marketing professionals as part of their digital marketing strategy. these agencies rely less and less on official qualifications or digital marketing certifications and focus mainly on the ability to do the job.

The digital marketing skills gap is real with the increased digital transformation and the need for professionals with experiences and long careers to fill them. you can learn by yourself these skills without having to go to college and spend years earning digital marketing certifications and helping decrease the unemployment rates. For example., you don’t need to take that much time to be a digital marketer

The bottom line, most of these degrees don’t cover the magic of digital marketing and are left to the market gurus and young freelancers, such as SEO; search engine optimization, or facebook ads, google ads, google analytics, social media marketing, ads operations running paid search campaigns and Conversion rate optimization and many fresh changing skills.

Access to learning

There are plenty of available free and paid course for social media marketers such as google analytics academy, LinkedIn learning,

visit: www.fit.ie/stepin2tech. if you wish to take part.