Microsoft has promised to create 4,000 positions in the UK this year.
The announcement comes after Prime Minister David Cameron held Downing Street talks with business leaders aimed at taking up the employment slack left by lay-offs blamed on spending cuts.
“In 2011, Microsoft expects its Britain Works programme to generate 4,000 new jobs, in addition to the 9,000 new jobs created since launch in 2009,” the company said in a statement.
“Microsoft’s Britain Works does two things,” Microsoft said. “Firstly it creates new jobs in the form of highly skilled apprenticeships and opportunities for entrepreneurs to start new businesses. Secondly it provides IT training to give people the right skills for existing vacancies.”
According to Microsoft, its apprenticeships already train unemployed youngsters from Job Centre Plus as technical support staff, while a new technical sales and software development apprenticeships will launch this spring.
The 4,000 positions would be a drop in the ocean towards ambitious targets laid out last September, when Microsoft pledged to get 500,000 people back into work by 2012.
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