How learning Azure digital skills is giving underserved people new hope

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Graduates of the first ever Microsoft Azure Cloud Practitioners ‘bootcamp’ gathered at a celebration event hosted at the Microsoft Experience Centre in central London recently.

The free 12-week online course, run by Generation, a non-profit aiming to help underserved people into work, is designed to give people aged 19 and above the digital skills they need to become Microsoft Azure cloud engineers.

Generation has been awarded Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted, the educational standards regulator.

Speaking at the event, Azure Bootcamp graduate Aisha Senkubuge, 22, (pictured top) said: “I had no experience in tech whatsoever, but the Generation Azure Bootcamp gave me more confidence, in that you will find something within cloud that is for you.

“I know I’m going to get there because of the skills and the confidence that the Generation programme gave me.”

Perseverance

Generation and Microsoft worked closely with companies to build a course that was as useful to future employers as possible. As a result, around 70% of learners who’ve been through the skills programme end up finding jobs.

As well as cloud computing skills, the students learn how to write CVs, apply for jobs, prepare for interviews, and generally conduct themselves with more confidence.

“As well as the cloud knowledge, I learned perseverance, to keep going and not be put off when you find things difficult,” said Aisha. “It’s OK not to know things, so don’t be afraid to ask. We all make mistakes!

“And the mock interviews were especially useful,” she added, “especially for people who don’t feel confident in those situations.”

Bootcamp graduate Ian Ameyaw-Benson has already found a job in the cloud computing sector

Another graduate, Ian Ameyaw-Benson, 20, also felt that working in a team gave him a lot more confidence, and he has already found a job with Exponential-e, a cloud, network and IT services firm.

“I always want to learn and I never want to stop learning,” he said.

Investing in the future

Andy Kemp, Regional Partnerships Director at Generation, said: “Generation operates in 17 countries and we’ve helped 100,000 into work so far, 2,000 of those in the UK.

“We’re all about investing in future talent and levelling the playing field for underserved audiences.”

Andy Kemp, Regional Partnerships Director, Generation, says the Microsoft digital skills bootcamps are all about “levelling the playing field for underserved people”

Graduates of the online bootcamp leave with a Microsoft Azure Fundamentals qualification, equipped with the skills to perform engineering tasks related to building, extending and maintaining software and services running on Microsoft’s Azure Cloud Platform.

To qualify for the Generation Bootcamps, applicants must be unemployed or on zero-hours contracts, don’t need any qualifications or experience, and should come from groups under-represented in the tech industry, such as women and people without university degrees.

“We’re proud to have partnered with Generation over the last four years, creating three tech bootcamps and helping nearly a thousand people to gain digital and AI skills to help them into entry level jobs,” said Charles Eales, AI National Skilling Director, Microsoft UK.

“Seeing how the bootcamps have helped people like Aisha and Ian shows how important programmes like this are for expanding opportunity for everyone in society.”

Through its AI National Skilling Initiative, Microsoft has committed to equipping 2.5 million people in the UK with the digital skills they need to shape and take part in the digital economy.