Microsoft to Create 1 lakh Opportunities for PwDs, to Provide Tech Skilling, Internships & Jobs

Microsoft has recently announced a collaboration with EnAble India to provide  over 100,000 job opportunities for persons with disabilities (PwDs).

The initiative, called ‘Inclusion to Action’, aims to provide an opportunity platform, bringing together more than 100 organisations in the country across financial services, manufacturing, retail and tech sectors to work together on various tech skilling, mentorship, internship and employment initiatives to achieve economies of scale in the common goal of economic empowerment for PwDs.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between EnAble India and Microsoft aims to create an ecosystem for both opportunity seekers and providers with initiatives ranging from tech skilling and mentorship to internships and jobs. “The technical skilling programs are designed to enhance understanding of digital accessibility that can create a cultural shift as organisations are increasingly shaping their hybrid work strategies. The increased representation of PwDs will also lead to inclusive product development, which can in turn aid technology users with disabilities. In addition, persons with disabilities get access to training curriculum on modern workplace applications for higher productivity and effective collaboration,” reads the press release by the firm.

Dipesh Sutariya, Co-Founder, Enable India, said, “In an era where 85 per cent of the jobs are filled by networking, there is an urgent need to unlock opportunities for persons with disabilities whose social circles are 10 per cent of that of non-disabled.”

Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said, “This unique collaboration between EnAble India and Microsoft marks the beginning of a continuous endeavor to engage with multiple stakeholders across industry, advocates, experts, policymakers, and the disability community to empower and transform employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. All of us now need to act with bolder ambition to empower this large untapped talent pool to achieve more.”

This collaboration follows Microsoft’s five-year global commitment to help decrease the gap in education, employment and access to technology for people with disabilities around the world.

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