Women in Cloud, Microsoft, Coursera and IAMCP Partner to Provide Azure Training

1. Women in Cloud, Microsoft, Coursera and IAMCP Partner to Provide Azure Training and Certification Scholarships to Women in India (1888 PressRelease) Launches #empowHERfamily initiative to create a digital skilling ecosystem to skill Women in India for in-demand Cloud Jobs. Women in Cloud (WiC) is excited to announce a collaboration with Microsoft and Coursera to distribute Azure Training and Certification Scholarships to women in India, through their #empowHERfamily initiative that brings together resources across corporate, nonprofits, academia and the community to create digital skills and job opportunities. Women in Cloud launched the #EmpowHERfamily initiative for India that spearheaded three global volunteer-led task forces to spread awareness about critical women-centric issues related to economic development, raise funds to support 2500 women and collate digital skills resources for women who need them most. One of the earliest successes of the #empowHERfamily initiative includes the creation of a unique coalition of nonprofits in India that will create access for women in the remotest parts of India who have faced severe economic impact of COVID-19 and can support their families on a sustained basis by starting or pivoting to a career in tech. This nonprofit coalition includes Aatmaja Foundation, Mahavir International Trust and C R Kothari Memorial Charitable Trust. “The pandemic affected women from low income households in India disproportionately with over 17 million women losing their jobs because of COVID-19” said Sarika Malhotra, President, IAMCP, who is bringing together nonprofits that are working to support women in India. “There is an urgent need for a collective industry wide effort to solve an issue as big as this. I am excited to be a part of an initiative like empowHERfamily and hope that this will make a difference to the lives of women and prevent them and their families from falling into cycles of poverty.” Women in Cloud has also partnered with the prestigious RV College of Engineering in Bengaluru, India to establish an exclusive Center of Excellence in cloud technologies for women. This center will train students with the skills needed to meet the workforce demand for Cloud, AI and Cybersecurity jobs.

2. RV College of Engineering will also prioritize developing a curriculum that includes lab setup, certifications and partial course delivery from the industry perspective, organize practical workshops and industry focused technical talks, support major project evaluation by giving industry inputs and facilitate industry visits for students and faculty. “Through the power of collective action, Women in cloud is galvanizing local communities and educational institutions in India to collaborate with the tech industry to accelerate workforce development by unlocking access for women to get digitally skilled to build successful careers in the trillion dollar cloud industry.” Says Chaitra Vedullapalli, Co-Founder and President of Women in Cloud. Earlier this month, Coursera announced their initiative to increase representation of women in technology in India. According to Raghav Gupta, MD - India & APAC, Coursera, “With the pandemic widening the skill gaps, there is renewed urgency for large-scale reskilling efforts. Coursera is committed to helping many more learners and institutions in India navigate change and disruption with access to world-class learning.” Debbie Uttecht, senior partner marketing manager, Microsoft Worldwide Learning added,. “To create a new workforce for in-demand cloud roles, we need to ensure everyone has access to the education and skills they need to be successful. This is why we are pleased to be partnering with Women in Cloud and Coursera, where we’re able to unlock Azure Training and Certification Scholarship for women in India” With partners like Microsoft and Coursera, we’re continually offering flexible learning programs to help women to develop in-demand skills through #empowHERfamily initiative. Learn more at https://www.womenincloud.com/empowherfamily/ About Women in Cloud Women In Cloud is a community-led economic development organization taking action to generate $1B in net new global economic access for women entrepreneurs by 2030 through partnerships with corporations, community leaders, and policymakers. Women in Cloud is built on the following core values; Inclusion, Collective Action, and Economic Access to help contribute to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. For further information, visit womenincloud.com or contact wicmarketing ( @ ) womenincloud dot com dot About Coursera Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 87 million registered learners as of June 30, 2021.

3. Coursera partners with over 200 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Institutions around the world use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in fields such as data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a B Corp in February 2021.