By 2030, IBM has plans to provide 30 million people around the world with skills to help them stay up-to-date with the growing number of technology jobs and the evolving workforce.
In its efforts to provide people with access to digital skills training, IBM announced 170 new partnerships across over 30 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
For instance, in the U.S., IBM will partner with organizations focused on providing more opportunities for underrepresented and disadvantaged communities such as Workforce Development Inc and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurships.
“This will help democratize opportunity, fill the growing skills gap, and give new generations of workers the tools they need to build a better future for themselves and society,” said Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO of IBM.
The world has rapidly changed over the course of 18 months, and due to the acceleration of technology usage, the skills gap is widening. However, the World Economic Forum found that closing the global skills gap could add $11.5 trillion to the global GDP by 2028.
“The digital transformation has come to a point where it reaches into all processes, functions and job roles across enterprises and organizations, and the need for training becomes imperative for societies to adapt,” said Martin Sundblad, Research Manager and Co-Lead for European Skills Practice at IDC.