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Microsoft has announced a two-pronged AI skills initiative.

Part of the company's Skills for Jobs program, theinitiative comprises free coursework developed with LinkedIn, and – in conjunction withdata.org – a grant challenge for organisations to create new ways of training to upskill and reskill workers in generative AI.

The Microsoft and LinkedIn learning pathway will provide free introductory generative AI learning content.

This will allow workers will learn about introductory AI concepts of AI, including responsible AI frameworks.

On completion, they will receive a Career Essentials certificate, which Microsoft says is the first professional certificate on generative AI on the online learning market.

Thegrant program involves Microsoft itself, the company's AI for Good Lab, Microsoft subsidiary GitHub, and "platform for partnerships" data.org (which is sponsored by New Venture Fund, a charity backed by Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and The Rockefeller Foundation).

It will support organisations to explore, develop, and implement how nonprofit, social enterprises and research or academic institutions can train and empower the workforce to use generative AI. It will pay particular attention to organisations that focus on "fair and community-led implementations of generative AI with historically marginalised populations worldwide."

While there is a financial component to the program, successful applicants will receive access to "a cohort experience, Microsoft events, Azure-based cloud computing resources as well as data training and technical guidance from Microsoft and GitHub experts."

"Artificial Intelligence will help workers in many industries to increase productivity and spend more time on valuable skilled tasks," said Microsoft ANZ CTO Lee Hickin.

"To make this happen, companies, educational institutions and governments will need to play a role in upskilling the workforce. With a highly educated population, Australia is well positioned to benefit from AI broadly."

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