The big contradiction in the world today, according toMicrosoft Europe chairman Jan Muehlfeit, is that while about 75 million youths worldwide are unemployed and desperate for jobs, millions of employment opportunities remain unfilled.
Most of these jobs are in the ICT sector, making Mr Muehlfeit conclude that the contradiction can only be the result of inadequacy of skills in the computing industry.
This seems to be his pet subject, for has revisited it in different ways in previous speeches, and he highlighted it again recently in a keynote speech at the opening of the 10th Microsoft in Education Global Forum on March 12 in Barcelona, Spain.
In Europe alone, Mr Muehlfeit stated, about 900,000 jobs in ICT need to presently be filled. In the US, the figure is about 7.1 million. Pakistan is in a similar state, with about five million new ICT job opportunities likely to go unfilled. In Latin America, the demand for jobs in ICT outstrips supply by about 35 per cent.
Employers in all these regions are struggling to find the right fit. The trend is no different in other regions of the world, including Africa, according to the Microsoft Europe boss.
The situation, argued Mr Muehlfeit, was the consequence of learning institutions failing to move at par with the technological demands of the workplace.
Yet ICT is becoming a crucial factor in job creation, both directly and in the form of spiral effect. In Finland, the country that is highly ranked worldwide in the use of computing technologies, “ICT is estimated to generate 50,000 new jobs and nearly 2000 new IT businesses” between 2011 and 2015, according to Muehlfeit. “Moreover, the IT sector will create jobs across the entire economy, to be precise, more than 90,000” he added.
The Microsoft Europe chairman was expounding on the need for governments and policy makers worldwide to not only invest more in ICT education, but also deploy computing technologies in learning institutions at an early stage as tools to enhance skills in a sector that is likely to change the landscape of employment in many countries.
“I believe technology in education will create jobs, decrease poverty, and settle conflicts around the world,” declared Mr Muehlfeit as he concluded his speech.
Microsoft in Education Global Forum is an annual platform for leaders of learning institutions, educators, policy makers and representatives of technology companies to interact and share knowledge about the different ways of applying technology in teaching. This year’s event, held from March 11 to March 14, attracted about 1,100 participants from around the world, including a few from Kenya.
The annual forum seeks to promote advances in teaching methods to creatively bring education and skills training closer to the reality of the demands of the increasingly globalising and technology driven world of work.
Education experts now believe that the application of networked computer technologies in learning teaches students collaboration and teamwork rather than competition, and offers them additional ICT and soft skills that put them in better position to fulfil the needs of the workplace.
In an earlier write-up, Mr Muehlfeit stated: “Nowadays, students need to be prepared in order to compete globally, and embracing the latest tools at an early stage can give them a competitive advantage in their future. As a result, it is imperative that we shift the educational model towards one where students are prepared for the skills the 21st Century workforce requires.
A recent survey titled, “Skills Requirements for Tomorrow’s Best Jobs” listed knowledge of office computer applications as the third most desired skill that employers want.
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