By | Catalina Rengifo Botero
Philanthropy lead, Microsoft SSA
My grandmother is 95 years old. She is an incomparable woman, she is still one of the people I consult every time I am about to make a decision that changes our path. So, faced with a decision to change my role, my company and my life, I had to call her: “Abuelita (Grandma), I am going to work at Microsoft, in the Philanthropy area, where I will be able to give back to the world what life has given us and share with other people the fortune of being able, through technology, to be more efficient, to empower, to change lives,” I told her. The phone went silent for a moment, and then she told me, “You had tarried, I love to see how the little 5 year old girl you were is smiling today with this great news.”
Today, years after that call, I can’t stop smiling because I am a daily witness of the impact of the programs that Microsoft promotes in the region and in the world. Microsoft is not only a leader in the technology sector, but also in the social sphere: it is constantly striving to design programs that democratize access to the opportunities of the digital economy and promote the development of the skills needed to make these opportunities more accessible to all. The company seeks to develop technological and digital skills, but also resilient talent. In other words, it is a company committed to the planet and its future.
As part of its inclusive and diverse vision, and its commitment to leave no one behind opportunities, the company has a real commitment to the development of women, not only from the internal work it constantly does to achieve the strengthening, visibility and empowerment of the women who work in it, but also from the implementation of programs that seek the development of women in the region. In the case of Spanish-speaking South America, several initiatives have been developed in recent years to strengthen the presence of women in technology.
And anyone who bets on the progress of the region must bet on women. Doing so promotes not only equality and diversity, but also economic growth. According to the International Monetary Fund, if Latin American countries increase female labor participation, GDP per capita could be up to 10% higher. As the UN states, when the number of employed women increases, economies grow. According to this organization, “an increase in women’s labor force participation, or a reduction in the gap between women’s and men’s labor force participation, leads to faster economic growth”. Betting on women is also betting on poverty reduction: a World Bank report states that the increasing participation of women in the labor force played an important role in reducing poverty in the region and that, without their work, extreme poverty in the region in 2010 would have been 30% higher. This is not to mention the role of women in business decision making, or the role that female empowerment is a smart strategy for growth and innovation.
That’s why much of the time we spend on skills and opportunity building programs at Microsoft is directed at women. This is the case of our cybersecurity training. According to an ISC study, by 2022, the global cybersecurity workforce encompasses 4.7 million people worldwide, but there is an unmet need for more than 3.4 million security professionals. According to a survey conducted by ISC, women represent only 24% of the global cybersecurity workforce and, according to LinkedIn, in countries such as Colombia, a LinkedIn study showed that they are only 17% of the workforce in this field. Therefore, this year a program was implemented to bring the SC-900 curriculum to more latin women “Cybersecurity Education & Certification Program”, a program that offered free SC-900 training and certification: Cloud-based Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Fundamentals.
During the last 3 years more than 3 million people have been trained in digital skills for employability, a robust course of 10 synchronous hours plus asynchronous material that seeks to provide mentors, trainers and teachers with the necessary tools to train populations, the female population trained has been 64%.
During 2023, with the support of Eidos Global, we launched the 360° Marketing program. An online training for those who want to take their first steps in the world of Digital Marketing. It seeks to enhance the employability of those who want to grow in the creation of digital strategies in organizations, as well as to encourage entrepreneurs in Latin America so that they can have their digital marketing strategy for their own project. Female participation has been incredible, 69% of the beneficiaries are women.
For more than two years Microsoft has been part of Todas Conectadas (Everyone Connected), an initiative of the Regional Alliance for the Digitalization of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, born in the framework of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, under the leadership of Chile, together with UN Women, Mastercard and NGO Eidos Global. This initiative seeks to train women in the region in digital skills, support their financial inclusion and broaden their knowledge of the main gender-related issues in the region and the world.
Microsoft is a company that not only cares about providing innovative technology solutions, but is also committed to the social and economic development of communities, especially women. Through its philanthropy programs, Microsoft seeks to reduce the gender gap in the technology sector, promote female empowerment and generate employability and entrepreneurship opportunities for women in Latin America and the Caribbean. These initiatives are fundamental to achieving a more inclusive, diverse and equitable society, where women can develop their full potential and contribute to the region’s progress. As my grandmother said, it is great news that I can work in a company like this, which allows me to give back to the world what life has given me, and share with other people the fortune of being able to be more efficient through technology.
