Push for digital skills among Asean workforce

New skills: Rapid reskilling of the workforce is necessary to build a sustainable pool of homegrown talent in Asean.

A COALITION of major tech companies have pledged to develop digital skills for the Asean workforce. The pledge, part of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Digital Asean initiative, aims to train 20 million people in South-East Asia by 2020, especially those working in small- and medium-size enterprises.

Other goals include raising US$2mil in contributions to provide scholarships for Asean technology students, ensuring an additional 200,000 digital workers are hired across the region, and engaging at least 20,000 citizens through “Digital Inspiration Days”, whereby companies invite students and the public to visit their offices and learn more about the character of the jobs of the future.