As we mark International Women's Day, we celebrate the work of our partners to empower women around the world with skills for the AI economy. We know that when women have access to education, digital skills, and opportunities, they can build a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Women in Digital Business
With the rise of the digital economy, women have new opportunities to start and grow a business, but still face many challenges. In low-income countries especially, female small business owners lack the competencies to develop a digital transformation strategy and implement it. In this context, equipping women entrepreneurs with digital skills is essential to the growth of their business. To tackle this challenge, Microsoft has partnered with the International Training Center of the International Labor Organization (ITCILO) to offer the Women in Digital Business (WIDB) program.
WIDB offers training programs in digital skills to women entrepreneurs who are looking to digitalize their business. By training partners all over the world in using the ILO’s platform and methodologies, the program will enable over 30,000 women-led micro and small businesses in 10+ countries to gain role-based skills, employability skills, and digital skills through online and residential training centers.
In Colombia, our partner ImpactHub is integrating this training to support the personal and professional growth of female entrepreneurs who have been affected by armed conflict in their communities. Through a blend of business training, leadership skills development, and access to economic opportunities, ImpactHub’s implementation of this program is nurturing the potential of these women to persevere through political crisis, thereby strengthening the country's business and social fabric.
Learn more about Women in Digital Business and how you can become a master trainer for the program.
Cybersecurity skilling
Cybersecurity roles are high-wage, high-growth jobs across every industry. Yet globally only 1 in 4cybersecurity roles are filled by women. Microsoft is proud to partner with women-focused organizations to help change that. Some of our resources, partnerships, and opportunities to support women in cyber include:
- In honor of Women’s History Month, we just launched the Microsoft Cybersecurity Certification Scholarship, awarded by Women in Cloud. This scholarship equips women in the U.S. with access to industry recognized certifications, mentorship networks, and monthly job preparedness sessions. Learn more about how to apply for this scholarship at aka.ms/WiC.
- As part of the expansion of our cybersecurity skills initiative, we are partnering with Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) to bring their student chapters to a global audience. WiCyS student chapters receive funding, access to resources and conferences as well as networking opportunities for both students and faculty advisors. Learn more about how to create a student chapter on the WiCyS website.
- Our partner LATAM Women in Cybersecurity (WOMCY) has a mission to minimize the knowledge gap and increase the talent pool in cybersecurity across Latin America. Through multiple grants from Microsoft, WOMCY has provided 5,200 women with coursework and vouchers to complete a SC-900 certification in Cybersecurity. Find out more about WOMCY.
- The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a UN agency, recently finished the third cycle of their Women in Cyber Mentorship Program. With support from Microsoft, this program provided over 300 women mentors and mentees in the field of cybersecurity with courses, live trainings, and multiple forms of mentorship activities to foster continued growth in their roles.
See all the resources Microsoft offers for Cybersecurity skilling at aka.ms/Cybersecurity_Skills.
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on our progress and recognize the impact of our partners and programs around the world. But there is more work to do. Together, we can ensure women everywhere have access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in a rapidly changing economy.
Access digital skills resources to help empower women in your community at: aka.ms/MicrosoftDigitalSkillsHub