A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by OAED and Microsoft Hellas at the in the field of digital skills development , at an event in the presence of the Minister of Labour Costis Hatzidakis. It was preceded by a meeting of Mr. Hatzidakis and the commander of the PES Spyros Protopsaltis with the Managing Director of Microsoft Greece, Cyprus and Malta Mr. Theodosis Michalopoulos and the company's director of marketing and operations, Ms. Christina Leimoni, during which it was emphasized that digital skills - which have already been put at the center of the training and retraining programs for the unemployed planned by the PES- are a "constituent element" for the jobs that are in high demand by businesses in the current phase.

The cooperation between OAED and Microsoft is part of Microsoft's "GR For Growth" initiative. Its aim is to upgrade the skills of the human resources in cutting-edge technologies and effectively deal with the digital divide in the labor market. As members of the National Alliance for Digital Skills and Employment, the two organizations have confirmed their willingness to take action together. Actions to provide quality and free distance training to the unemployed.

PES is expanding its scope of partnerships with innovative technology companies. There have been previous partnerships with Google, Amazon Web Services and Cisco. At the same time, it signals with even greater emphasis the increased weight it gives to digital skills. These programs are more in demand by the employed and unemployed, given the innovative nature and the "stamp" of reliability of the international giants.

Especially with regard to the collaboration with Microsoft, what is of particular interest and distinguishes this specific program is that the skills offered have been selected with the main criterion of covering real gaps in the labor market, taking into account:

• the demand in specific professions
• leveraging data and analyzing data from thousands of businesses, through the LinkedIn platform (owned by Microsoft)

The planned Microsoft - OAEDprojects

The first action of the new OAED-Microsoft partnership will be the free distance modern and asynchronous training of 1,000 unemployed 18-45 year olds. Priority will be given to IT graduates and graduates The training will take place through the 'Microsoft Skills Academy' platform. The planned unemployed training programs will concern the following educational subjects:

• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ 900)
• Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals (DP 900)
• Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS 900)
• Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals (SC 900)
• Microsoft AI Fundamentals (AI 900)

Upon completion of each 8-week program, trainees will be able to receive a certification certificate, subject to successful participation in the respective exams.

Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs

"The collaboration between PES and Microsoft Hellas is a forerunner of the new training model promoted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Among other things, it incorporates partnerships with the most innovative technology companies in the world. This new model will be presented through the bill on training, skills and the new role of the PES that we will present soon.

This is a radical reform of training in the country, with the basic principles of quality, evaluation and certification of both training providers and trainees. But also with care that the money that will go to training takes place. PES's programs in collaboration with digital giants show the path we want to follow for it optimal utilization of the resources of 1 million euros for the Recovery Fund. With programs that will benefit 500,000 young people, employed and unemployed in the coming years. Because for us, training is not just a piece of paper. It is a means of acquiring the most modern skills, an essential supply of workers and unemployed for the future."

Spyros Protopsaltis, PES Commander

"PES continues the collaborations with internationally recognized technology companies. Collaborations the effective interconnection of quality training with the needs of the labor market. With actions and partnerships such as the new collaboration with Microsoft Hellas, we enable the unemployed to upgrade their digital skills. But also to improve their employability in high-demand specialties, with the aim of faster reintegration into the workforce."

Theodosis Michalopoulos, CEO of Microsoft Greece, Cyprus and Malta

"As our country becomes a pole of attraction for investments by technology companies, the Greek public sector is rapidly advancing its digital transformation. The investments of the Recovery Fund focus on digital technologies, the needs for digital training are increasing. Through synergies such as ours with OAED, we ensure that thousands of citizens they will have free access to high-demand skills. While at the same time it will take advantage of the possibilities that Microsoft technologies create today, and especially the cloud. In this particular program we have focus on providing free digital training and certification programs in cloud-focused skills. At the same time we also cover different levels of technological training. The aim is to help today's unemployed to rejoin the labor market. Also yes chart a new professional path".