New Delhi, Mar 30 (IANS): Microsoft on Tuesday said it has helped over 30 lakh people in India gain access to digital skills amid Covid-19 when hundreds and thousands of students and laid-off workers turned to online courses to better prepare themselves for the job market.

Globally, the company has helped over 30 million people in 249 countries and territories gain access to digital skills.

Microsoft said it is also extending its commitment to help 250,000 companies globally make a skills-based hire in 2021.

From laid-off factory workers to retail associates and truck drivers, millions of people turned to online learning courses from GitHub, LinkedIn and Microsoft during the pandemic to help prepare for and secure the most in-demand roles, including customer service, project management and data analysis.

"Skills will be the new currency in the post-pandemic world. Over the past year, we've seen the pandemic affect people all across the world, including those who could bear it the least," Microsoft Asia President, Ahmed Mazhari, said in a statement.

"For us to emerge stronger from the pandemic, reskilling needs to be at the centre of our economic reset."

In India, Microsoft has partnered with the government, industry bodies and non-profit partners to create a strong digital skilling ecosystem in the country.

Last year, Microsoft joined hands with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in India to empower one lakh underserved young women across India with digital skills.

Microsoft has also partnered with the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Nasscom Foundation to create learning pathways for students at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) in India.

To promote skilling as a national priority, Nasscom FutureSkills and Microsoft collaborated last year to launch a nation-wide AI skilling initiative that aims to skill 10 lakh students in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by 2021.