How to Gain New Skills for the Digital?Economy?in Central Washington

This week, we are celebrating three years of launching Microsoft’s TechSpark program in different regions across America, including Quincy, Washington.  

Central Washington is known for its rich soil and abundance of crops; so it’s no surprise that a vast majority of our jobs are in the agricultural sector. As more companies become automated, different skills will be needed in the packing sheds and food processors.  However, in a perfect world, we would want a seasoned agriculture line sorter to upskill and gain new digital skills to bring a hybrid skillset to the business. That would be a win-win because we would have someone that knows the product inside and out that can now monitor the data output.    

To meet needs like these, and those created by job losses caused because of COVID-19, Microsoft launched a skilling initiative in June 2020 to bring more digital skills to 25 million people worldwide by March 2021. 

Here in Central Washington, the Greater Wenatchee AreaTech Alliance and  Washington State University have partnered with  Microsoft,  LinkedIn and  GitHub to offer those much-needed free online courses. With UpSkill Training, you can access 100+ free online training courses along with learning paths for ten in-demand careers. Our large Latino population can learn these courses in Spanish as well.    

Watch this Introduction to the Upskill program.

The impact to date has been astounding, especially since our area does not have the high unemployment rate of other areas. My partners at GWATA tell me that citizens are taking courses, sharing information about the initiative with one another, reaching out to their project managers for presentations and partnerships, and even the schools are on board. The soft skills section is proving to be of great interest, and as winter progresses, I expect these courses to only grow in popularity.  

Our local businesses are prepping to utilize soft skills as training courses for their staff. Some school districts will be adding the curriculum in the second quarter and local employment agencies have received approval for the courses to count toward required learning for job loss benefits. A series of four webinars hosted in partnership with North Central Regional Library generated over 1,000 unique views.  

 “This initiative is creating excitement and hope, in times of confusion and uneasiness,” said Cari Horning, Upskill Project Manager.

Our local Big Bend Community College is using some of the course work in their fall quarter Computer Science classes. They will expand their usage with soft skilling in a life skills course during the winter quarter. The most popular pathways in our region so far are IT Support, Graphic Design, and Project Management; however, the most traction is coming from UpSkill’s local resources page, which connects users to the resources they need and where to get them, like SkillSource, WSU Extension, Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), and WorkSource. 

It’s amazing to see the varied backgrounds of people who are taking these courses.  

Take for example, Alex D., a 26 year-old recruiting researcher who is three modules away from completing the graphic design course.  

With an International Business degree from Washington State University, Alex loves to travel, and made Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Australia interim homes over the past two years.  

Alex said, “I took advantage of the Microsoft skills initiative because when I returned to the United States from being abroad, I realized recruiting was not my passion. I knew I wanted something to spark my creative side and ultimately landed on Graphic Design. When I found Microsoft was offering free career pathways allowing me to work at my own pace, around my work schedule, I pounced. Being able to link my course certifications directly to my LinkedIn profile was huge, especially knowing first-hand what recruiters look for when sourcing a candidate."

What has appealed most to Alex and others is being able to pause, take notes, rewind, Bing/Google questions, and learn from actual professionals in the field.   

These times are unprecedented. Many individuals in my rural area are still struggling and figuring out how to stay afloat in the new digital economy.  We must meet people where they are both in locality and level.  I see this program as a helping hand and a non-threatening way of encouraging people to upskill. I’m looking forward to seeing the results over the next five months.    

Visit our website to learn more about Microsoft’s global skills initiative. 

TechSpark Spotlight: Through the TechSpark program, Microsoft partners with communities to understand their unique regional challenges and to explore solutions, programs, and partnerships that will be most effective locally. This first-hand account is part of the Microsoft TechSpark Spotlight series that shines a light on each community we serve.