According to Dr. James Canton and the Institute for Global Futures, competition for skilled labor is the number one issue facing the global workforce. “A global war for Smart Talent will be the top driver of competitive advantage, as educated, skilled and experienced employees will be in demand,” Dr. Canton says in his Top Ten Workforce Trends for 2009.

Amidst the global recession and this scramble for high-tech skilled employees, several states and the federal government are taking Dr. Canton’s point seriously by looking for ways to promote American competitiveness.

“This is a big concern,” Gail Thomas-Flynn, general manager of State and Local Government for Microsoft, said in an interview with CivSource, “We need to mobilize more efforts through public-private partnerships.” And mobilize is exactly what Microsoft is trying to do with their Elevate America program.

“Microsoft has a long-standing commitment to workforce development and e-learning,” says Ms. Thomas-Flynn. “Elevate America is the culmination of Microsoft’s digital inclusion and literacy efforts to address economic conditions,” she said. “The program also furthers the stated goals of the stimulus package, namely by increasing competition and building the economy through skills and educational development.”

First launched in February of this year, Microsoft’s Elevate America will provide up to 1 million vouchers nationwide for Microsoft e-Learning courses and select Microsoft certification exams at no or low cost to recipients. The company expects to provide online and real world technology training to as many as two million people during the next three years.

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