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Microsoft Unveils "Elevate America"

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the we-really-need-some-good-pr-what-can-we-do dept.

nandemoari writes "In response to the current economic crisis, Microsoft Corp. has come out with a stimulus plan of their own. Their goal is to help a large group of individuals use their computers to land employment in ways other than to generate a compelling resume. The new online initiative, Elevate America, is set to equip close to 2 million people (over the next three years) with the skills needed to succeed in the field of technology."

12 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. That's great... by qoncept · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's great, but aren't there already more people equipped with computer skills than the market needs? America doesn't need more job-qualified people (at least, that's not the big problem), it needs jobs to put those people in to.

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    1. Re:That's great... by erroneus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      SHHHH!!! You are going to mess up their plans! They are very large users of the H1-B visa program and they would like to justify their continued [ab]use of the program! After all, the firing of thousands in the US while claiming the are needs to expand the H1-B program in today's situation is a pretty questionable move on the surface. Now they have to do something to appease congress and fast!

    2. Re:That's great... by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Actually, no, there are not more people with computer skills than the market needs. Yet, anyway. Unless by "computer skills" you are counting the ability to send an email or fill in a pre-made Excel spreadsheet.

      There is still high demand for people with REAL computer skills: programmers, back-end Web Developers, and good front-end Web Developers, for that matter. Not to mention the hardware end of things (although I am not necessarily referring to the "classical" IT position).

      And for the latest-and-greatest software tech, like Ruby and Python (and I will reluctantly include .NET, just because)??? The demand is still very high.

    3. Re:That's great... by IgLou · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Wait... IIRC isn't this phrase:

      They are very large users of the H1-B visa program

      Supposed to say this?

      They are the largest user of the H1-B visa program

      I'm being cheeky about it. But, I remember when they opened the office here in Vancouver how excited everyone was and then no one was being hired here but there was a lot of people coming in from abroad to work here. The problem is on paper it always looks better to move things offshore because the "operating effeciencies" but look what happens when things are moved, poorer quality, poorer service and no one cares. I'm inclined to blame the "Walmart/everything's disposable and cheaper to replace mentality".

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  2. Come on.... by panoptical2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Microsoft is just grabbing the opportunity to train more devs and IT in advanced Microsoft products. After all, this is what ensures that companies use these products; that way, the companies don't have to pay for training.

    They also use this tactic with student/academia discounts, also.... (MSDNAA, anyone?)

  3. The only problems solved here is Microsoft's by NotBornYesterday · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm glad that I'm not the only one who reads this as "brace yourself for 2 million more unemployed MSCE's to dilute the IT field within the next 3 years". Sorry for the cynicism, but I see this as Microsoft trying to raise a generation of tech users and admins who know nothing of the tech world beyond Windows.

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    I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
  4. So will these elevators be free? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Cause I'm having a hard time justifying a $200 OS for my $300 laptop ... at least in the Real America that most of us live in.

    Oh, and no takebacks on the Elevation, like they did with the firings of their staff and the pay they "overpaid" ...

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  5. Misleading introduction..! by bogaboga · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "...The new online initiative, Elevate America, is set to equip close to 2 million people (over the next three years) with the skills needed to succeed in the field of technology."

    This would have been better and on point:

    "...The new online initiative, Elevate America, is set to equip close to 2 million people (over the next three years) with the skills needed to succeed in using Microsoft technologies to perpetuate their proliferation while increasing dependence on such technologies at the same time."

  6. Correction by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It should read, "... is set to equip close to 2 million people (over the next three years) with the skills needed to succeed in the field of Microsoft technology."

  7. Re:Disagree by The+End+Of+Days · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And the jobs never did come back to America- it took 7 years for the number of jobs to be EQUAL to that before the crash, and during that time we imported just about as many workers as we gained jobs.

    Most of those jobs didn't leave the country, exactly - they vanished because they were never real in the first place. You can only continue employment on speculative investment for so long. Like right up until the bubble bursts.

  8. BS by westlake · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Cause I'm having a hard time justifying a $200 OS for my $300 laptop

    It's time the geek stopped wallowing in his own FUD.

    The Acer XP laptop with an Atom CPU, a 9" screen, 1 GB RAM and a 160 GB HDD is $298 at Walmart.com.

    In six months to a year the OS will be Win 7, the specs significantly better, and the price will still be cheaper than OEM Linux.

    The lone Linux netbook?

    A Dell Inspiron with 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of Flash for $350.

    "Not sold in stores."

  9. Re:Clearly, by rinoid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Clearly you get paid to do this? Not the first time I've seen a post to "getthefacts" which resolves to http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/compare/default.mspx ...which ironically uses a flash container!

    Anyway, the compare tabs are interesting. I don't disagree that solutions from MSFT work and work well but to pick nits about unix requiring maintenance and other blah blahs, it's all marketing speak. And good for ya.

    Free is never free. Just like free software to schools -- it's about your first hit.