SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 1 December 2024, Sunday |

Google unveils $1.3m digital skills fund for Mena non-profits

“For the time being, we haven’t found any indications of life from the rubble, but we also didn’t hear the baby immediately away,” said Colonel Eric Grohin, director of the Var department’s fire service.

When rescue crews got to the scene, they smelled gas, according to authorities.

“For the time being, the causes remain unknown.” “There was a gas smell, but we can’t say anything more while the police investigation is ongoing,” regional officials stated in a statement.

The bomb near the port of Sanary, a city of roughly 15,000 inhabitants southeast of Marseille, also severely destroyed two neighboring buildings.

According to Google.org president Jacquelline Fuller, the data-driven investment initiative will supply the skills required throughout the global digital pivot.

“Digital skills are something that we recognized some years ago as being the most crucial area internationally where we believed Google could give aid and have the most influence on people’s well-being,” Ms Fuller, a Google vice president, told The National in an exclusive interview on Monday.

“Based on facts, the increase of jobs – particularly middle-income occupations – all demand digital capabilities… we are strong believers in artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve technology and the business sector.”

Over the last five years, Google.org, which spends more than $200 million yearly in non-profits, has provided $15.5 million to Mena non-governmental organizations.

All funds are primarily intended to increase work prospects for the jobless and underemployed.

Ms Fuller stated that the move to a digital economy is disproportionately affecting women, which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 epidemic.

 

According to the Arab Monetary Fund, around six million jobs in the Arab world are at danger due to the pandemic alone, with McKinsey estimating that 64% and 39% of women in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, respectively, are at high risk of displacement if they do not learn digital skills.

Meanwhile, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, refugees can contribute to the countries that accept them as employees, inventors, entrepreneurs, taxpayers, consumers, and investors.

As a result, these initiatives can assist to generate employment, increase productivity and salaries for local people, encourage international commerce and investment, increase capital returns, and boost innovation.

Employing persons with disabilities in the private sector can be part of broader efforts to enhance workforce diversity, with tangible economic advantages for these businesses.

According to the International Labour Organization and the OECD, these benefits include improved creativity and worker dedication, more effective problem solutions, and a more good reputation among clients, business partners, and society.

California-based Google’s assistance for Mena’s technological sectors is likewise well known. Earlier this year, the firm introduced its Grow My Store application in both Arabic and English, with the goal of assisting local retailers in growing their businesses using data analytics.

It chose 12 startups to participate in the second batch of its accelerator program. It began accepting applications for the third cohort in September.

 

    Source:
  • The National News