Spain/Santander and IBM offer 1,000 scholarships to train students in technologies such as artificial intelligence or cybersecurity

The first edition of the 'Santander Technology Scholarships | IBM Digital Experience' aims to promote professional retraining and further training in new skills to improve the employability of participants.

Banco Santander has launched a new scholarship program in collaboration with the company IBM, whose objective is to help improve the employability of those who need to enter the labor market or change their professional career.

The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) shows that in 2019, the percentage of people with at least basic digital skills reached 58%.However, a large part of the EU population still lacks basic digital skills, even though most jobs require such skills.According to the European Commission, 70% of companies recognise that the lack of staff with the right digital skills is a barrier to investment. Europe also faces a shortage of digital experts capable of developing cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of all citizens.

The 1,000 beneficiaries of the Santander Technology Scholarships | IBM Digital Experience will have the opportunity to receive training to improve their digital capabilities and learn about technologies such asThe 1,000 recipients of the Santander Technology Scholarships will have the opportunity to receive training to improve their digital capabilities and learn about technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, areas that are currently in high demand by companies (more and more companies are increasing their investment in artificial intelligence in 20211, with 3 out of 4 already exploring or implementing this technology.2

"I am very proud to launch the first edition of this scholarship program with IBM, an unbeatable partner, a leader in technology and with whom we share our social commitment to education.What we are looking for with this initiative is to promote the requalification and upgrading of skills to improve the employability of the participants, regardless of their previous education," explained Susana García Espinel, Director of Santander SmartBank, Santander Universities and Universia España.

"IBM has a strong commitment and continually invests in training and reskilling programs to make the digital age more inclusive, and programs like this one open up a new pathway to enter the IT field, while helping to opt for jobs that require digital skills, which are now in high demand by all industries.This agreement with Santander helps us expand access to our training platforms, which we are extremely pleased with," said Horacio Morell Gálvez, president of IBM Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel.

Students and professionals residing in Spain or any interested person over 18 years of age, who have completed the assessment and registration test available at https://www.becas-santander.com/es/program/becas-santander-can participate in the program . digitaltechnology experience ibm .

The course, designed by the Universia España team and IBM, will be available from 14 to 25 June on the IBM training platform, Open P-Tech; It will involve a dedication of about 23 hours and will focus its training itinerary on digital skills.It will involve a dedication of approximately 23 hours and will focus its training itinerary on the most relevant digital core competencies in digital transformation, among which Design Thinking, Blockchain, Cyber, Problem Solving and Watson.

Banco Santander and its support for higher education Banco Santander, a leader in responsible banking, maintains a firm commitment to progress and inclusive and sustainable growth with a pioneering and consolidated commitment to higher education that it has been developing through Santander's universities for 25 years. The entity has allocated a total of more than 2,000 million euros and has awarded more than 630,000 scholarships and grants since its launch.

Source: www.larazon.es