SKILL SCALERS

Enabling people to succeed in a rapidly changing digital context

This article features an innovation deep dive, detailing what the innovation is, how it relates to two underlying trends, what other brands have recently launched similar initiatives and three key takeaways for you to run with.

We publish 20 Innovations of the Month for various regions and industries, exclusively available to members of Amplify — our Trend Intelligence Platform.

Log in here if you're already a member, or explore the platform's benefits and features here.

This is what scaling for impact looks like

In May 2023, unicorn startup Rappi announced a collaboration with Microsoft to promote digital inclusion and economic progress in Latin America. Dubbed 'Tech for All', the initiative seeks to provide free education in digital literacy, entrepreneurship, data analysis and business administration to Rappi's delivery workers and their families. The program, implemented through Microsoft Learn, provides access to more than 1,500 modules in various languages and is expected to benefit over 350,000 individuals across the region.

Analyst take

Delivery brands have long been required to implement initiatives that prioritize the welfare of riders, particularly in Latin America, where unions have advocated for worker rights and sought to improve their quality of life. Despite the introduction of education programs aimed at supporting riders’ professional development, hourly wages mean it’s often a struggle to find the time to study.

Rappi's initiative doesn’t just give workers the chance to pursue education – it extends the opportunity to their families. Given that most Rappi riders are male, this could be particularly significant for women in the region. Although LatAm has the highest proportion of female entrepreneurs globally and half of the small businesses in the region are female-owned, the World Bank reports that 70% of financing requests made by women entrepreneurs in developing countries are denied due to a lack of trust. Education could help them take entrepreneurship to the next level!

This initiative serves as a model for brands of all industries, showcasing the positive impact that can be achieved by prioritizing the educational and familial wellbeing of workers and their families. So think beyond your internal stakeholders: how can you help break the cycle of limited opportunities and create a positive ripple through their households and communities?

Coty Inc.

Beauty conglomerate creates metaverse campus for its employees

Beauty conglomerate Coty Inc. has announced plans for the Coty Campus: an internal virtual environment for its 11,000 employees set to be launched in Q4 2023. The beauty company teamed up with Spatial, a 3D experience and social platform, to create the digital space where Coty employees can share files, create custom avatars and communicate via text or voice chats. Users can also receive rewards by collecting items, exploring the digital environment, and completing quests, per the press release. The campus is part of Coty’s efforts to upskill its workforce and is a “key development” in the company’s digitalization strategy.

Binance Charity & School of Code

School of Code graduates available to charities with no hiring fee

In March 2023, Binance Charity joined forces with the Birmingham-based School of Code, a social enterprise, offering free tech training across the UK. Eligible social purpose organizations can now hire course participants for free. The 16-week course, requiring no prior expertise, aims to eliminate educational and financial barriers to tech careers. Bootcamp participants are chosen based on motivation, humility, curiosity, and teamwork. The program features live demos for social enterprises and charities within the School of Code's employer network. Funded by the UK government and employer partners, the training comes at no cost to individuals.

Alibaba

Alibaba’s digital literacy drive reaches 45,000 children in rural China

Through its Young Cloud Education Support Plan, China-based tech giant Alibaba is providing children in rural areas with cloud computers to boost digital literacy. The devices are based on the brand’s Wu Ying computer model which has no central processing unit or memory storage, instead relying entirely on cloud-based servers. After an initial launch in 2022, in March 2023 the brand announced that it had reached 45,000 students in 20 destinations in China through the initiative – delivering on its aim to broaden access to underserved communities.

Your key takeaways

The common denominator of these innovations? Scalability! Alibaba reached 45,000 children by March 2023, Tesco’s upskilling initiative received 170,000 sign-ups across 170 countries and Rappi aims to reach 350,000 individuals across the region. What (digital) skill gaps exist within communities you operate in? Can you develop courses to bridge these gaps, and work with distribution partners to get the information to those who need it most?
No doubt you’re familiar with the concept of ‘lifelong learning’. But what does that actually mean? What does it look like, day-to-day? What could you learn from popular language-learning apps like Duolingo, and how they teach people skills in small chunks? Even if consumers and employees know they need to learn new skills, the ability to do so needs to fit into (busy) day-to-day lives.
Concerns about the impact generative AI will have on knowledge workers and those in white-collar jobs have dominated recent headlines, but there’s another employment issue that doesn’t get as much airtime: the lack of skilled tradespeople. In the US, 85% of contractors say they struggle to find qualified workers; can your brand do more to address this crucial skills gap?

Platform

AI ✨

Live

Our Trend Intelligence Platform

Our platform gives you access to our full Trend Framework, Innovation Database with 31,000+ innovations, Industry Reports, AI-powered Ideation Tools, Stats, Training, Analyst Support and more. Powered by humans and AI, and used by 100s of global B2C brands and agencies.

NEW | Experience the platform yourself — instant access, no card needed — with our free 7-day trial 🙌

Crucial intel and ideation

Understand, anticipate and ideate with AI's radical impact on consumer behavior and expectations — today.

Check out our portfolio of AI-centric consumer trends, innovations and ideation tools.

It's going to be a wild ride but we've got you covered!

See you soon?

We run highly curated free Webinars — and yes, we can also come to you and present:
Check out our Keynotes and Workshops.

Prepping for the future has never been this inspiring!

Get your hands on our free newsletter

Join 100,000+ subscribers already forever in the know ✨