At its annual Government Leaders Forum – Americas last month, Microsoft highlighted how it aims to provide new opportunities for young people in Latin America and the Caribbean in an effort to reduce youth unemployment in the region.

The company detailed its participation in the launch of a new initiative, New Employment Opportunities (NEO) which aims to train one million youths throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region and place at least 50 per cent of those youth in jobs during the next 10 years.

Led by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Multilateral Investment Fund and the International Youth Foundation (IYF), the NEO initiative is supported by a variety of corporate partners. As part of its participation in NEO, over a three-year period, Microsoft is providing US$5m worth of financial, software and in-kind commitments to provide training curriculum, internships, on-the-job training and mentors.

Microsoft is also launching the regional chapter of Innovate4Good@Microsoft, a global community of young people who have benefitted from Microsoft’s youth programs.

“Young people across the Latin American and Caribbean region increasingly face an opportunity divide because they lack access to the education, skills or job opportunities they need to succeed in today’s world,” says Brad Smith, Microsoft executive vice president. “We are committed to working in partnership with public and private sector partners in the region to help bridge this divide and empower young people to imagine and realise a better future for themselves, their family and their communities.”