Universal College Bangladesh (UCB), the exclusive partner of Monash College Australia, recently organised the workshop "Digital Skills for a Great Career and Higher Education." UCB arranged this expert-curated workshop to provide the learners with a glimpse of the digital skills they need to flourish in their education and career.  The workshop was conducted by Dr Shannon Rios, manager of education strategy, learning and teaching at Monash College Diplomas. READ: UCB to organize free workshop on digital skills with Monash College Australia He discussed different things related to digital literacy, higher education expectations, modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (Moodle), and future digital skills like 3D printing, app development, and web design. All the attendees received joint certificates of participation from Monash College and UCB. READ: UCB to offer free workshop with Monash College Australia on improving memory skills UCB has partnered with Monash College Australia to provide Bangladeshi students with an opportunity to jumpstart their journey to a degree at Monash University, a world top-100 ranked university.

Over 60,000 people in Bangladesh gained digital skills amid the pandemic with the support of Microsoft. The company made the announcement in a media statement released on Thursday. "From laid-off factory workers to retail associates and truck drivers, millions of people have turned to online learning courses from GitHub, LinkedIn, and Microsoft during the pandemic to help prepare for and secure the most in-demand roles, including customer service projects management and data analysis," it said. Microsoft's announcement builds on the company's efforts to help people by extending free LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn courses and low-cost certifications, that align to 10 of the most in-demand jobs, throughout 2021.  Also read: Microsoft server hack has victims hustling to stop intruders The next stage of the initiative sets a new foundation for a skills-based economy through a suite of new tools and platforms designed to connect skilled job seekers with employers.  "The pandemic has changed everything, and the post-pandemic world will be a lot different than what we knew of it," said Afif Mohamed Ali, country managing director of Microsoft Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, and Nepal. "We are standing on the brink of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which will fundamentally bring alchemical change and significantly impact all industries, including the job market It has become vital for individuals to learn and improve the skill set that will help them emerge stronger in the post-pandemic world." "So, we have collaborated with LinkedIn to double our efforts to support the development of a more inclusive skill-based labour market, to create more alternatives, greater flexibility, and access learning paths to connect more people with new job opportunities," said Afif. Also read: TikTok owner picks Oracle over Microsoft as US tech partner LinkedIn plans to help 250,000 companies globally make skills-based hires this year through new and existing hiring products.  The company will provide both new ways for job seekers to demonstrate their skills and new tools for employers to connect to candidates based on their skill proficiencies including, LinkedIn Skills Path, LinkedIn profile features, and LinkedIn Skills Graph.  "More and more, we are seeing skills-based hiring becoming critical in our world of work. We've seen people across the globe express a desire to learn and build their skills, and organisations too, are hiring based on skills instead of traditional qualifications," said Olivier Legrand, managing director and vice-president of LinkedIn Asia Pacific and China. "LinkedIn, together with Microsoft, are committed to helping everyone shift towards a skills-based economy. In 2021, we will continue our efforts to equip job seekers with the right resources to pick up new skills, and connect them to opportunities, as well as aim to help 250,000 organizations make a skills-based hire." Read City Bank partners with Microsoft to enable its employees to work from home

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has encouraged girls and young women to master digital skills saying the world cannot afford to lose their talent.     "What career choice could be more rewarding than mastering the digital skills that will help you to save our planet and its people?" said the UN chief in a message marking the "Girls in ICT Day" being observed on Thursday.    He said girls in ICT Day is all about encouraging girls and young women to take up the exciting potential of a career in information and communications technology.     It is also about urging governments, industry and academia to develop strategies to equip and support girls who want to embark on such a career.    "The unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, much more effectively than any statement I could make, the vital importance of information and communications technology to society," he said.     With billions of people now confined to home, with businesses shuttered, with health services strained to breaking point, digital networks are playing a crucial role in keeping the world working, said the UN chief.     "They are keeping us connected, supporting health workers treating the sick, and enabling researchers who are collaborating to develop a vaccine," he said.   Guterres said digital technologies will be the key to their success and digital molecular analysis is helping teams understand the virus, so they can target its weak points.     "Digital epidemiological modelling is helping us understand the behaviour of the virus, to help us curb its spread. Yet, when women are excluded from such work, we replicate and deepen inequalities and gender stereotypes, we create products that don’t adequately address the needs of half the population, and we further the gender digital divide," he said.   Guterres said digital solutions are going to be central to every major challenge facing generation of girls and young women.