Although this initiative from Microsoft is focused on COVID, we know that the pandemic has impacted certain communities far more than others from an economic perspective. So this, in my mind, is also an excellent move from a diversity perspective, in that it may provide opportunities for a lot of folks to get free training and up-skill their careers.
The company today announced a wide-ranging, global portal for free skills training for people who are out of work. Alongside that, Microsoft said it plans to disperse $20 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that are working to help those who have lost jobs due to COVID-19 and subsequent shifts in the economy, and with a specific emphasis on those that are working with groups that are underrepresented in the tech world.