The Sarina Russo Group and Microsoft have announced an important collaboration to support the Microsoft and LinkedIn global skills initiative, aimed at bringing digital skills to 25 million people worldwide – including up to 500,000 Australians.

With over 40 years experience in getting jobseekers back into work, Sarina Russo Job Access, one of Australia’s largest Employment Services providers is excited to be offering access to the specialised Microsoft and LinkedIn learning resources to all its registered jobseekers.  The program will provide a unique opportunity to benefit those looking to reskill and pursue an in-demand job.

Launching the global skills initiative collaboration, Sarina Russo Job Access Managing Director, Sarina Russo said, “ The COVID-10 pandemic has seen Australia’s unemployment number rose from 5.2% in March when many Australian businesses went into lockdown to 7% in October 2020.  This massive disruption has seen many of the jobseekers being referred to our job placement services being unemployed for the first time in their working lives.  Our focus is to ensure jobseekers are equipped with a positive outlook and the skills that will be in demand as confidence in the economy grows.  With a forecast of more than 100,000 new jobs in technology over the next 3 years digital skills will be at the core of industry and employer needs.”

Microsoft and Sarina Russo will offer all registered jobseekers free digital skills training with LinkedIn Learning.  The 10 Learning Paths are directly aligned to 10 jobs that are in demand in today’s economy and are well-positioned to continue to grow in the future.

“With so many Australians registering for employment for the first time, we are seeing jobseekers coming to us with differing levels of digital awareness, so we are excited to provide access to a broad range of skills from entry-level to advanced technologies available through the digital skills initiative,” commented Sarina Russo.

The collaboration offers access to free, entry-level digital literacy through to advanced product-based skilling for technology roles such as Software Developer, Sales Representative, Project Manager, IT Administrator, Customer Service Specialist, Digital Marketer, IT Support, Data Analyst, Financial Analyst and Graphic Designer.

“Importantly”, notes Sarina Russo, “Microsoft is offering a range of free or very low-cost certifications which will allow our jobseekers to demonstrate to prospective employers that they have achieved an industry benchmarked standard.”

Commenting on the announcement, Rachel Bondi, Chief Partner Officer, Microsoft Australia said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every sector of the Australian economy. From retail and manufacturing to education and healthcare, Australian organisations are using technology to deliver goods and services to customers like never before.

“This digital transformation of the economy is driving demand for ‘tech-enabled’ jobs across almost every industry and with it, demand for people with digital skills. We are proud to be working with Sarina Russo to provide job seekers with access to free online skills training, wherever they are on their digital skills journey.”

“We are pleased to be part of Microsoft’s skilling initiative by offering free learning paths to job seekers and help the workforce on the path to recovery. LinkedIn has also introduced new products such as #OpenToWork that helps increase visibility for job seekers and Career Explorer an interactive tool to help people find jobs that match their skills.” said Matt Tindale, Country Manager, LinkedIn Australia & New Zealand.

Expanded access to digital skills is an important step in accelerating economic recovery, especially for the people hardest hit by job losses as a result of COVID-19, who are the primary target of this initiative.