SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — ServiceNow, the leading digital workflow company making work, work better for people, today launched its first global competition designed to crowdsource solutions for the technology-enabled and digitally literate 21st century workforce.
As technology dramatically transforms the nature of work and the digital skills required of the global workforce, ServiceNow invites applicants from around the globe and across sectors to pitch innovative ideas that will support underserved populations. In partnership with MIT Solve, a marketplace for social impact innovation, ServiceNow’s Digital Workforce Challenge is calling for tech-enabled innovations that help solve the growing skills and job vacancies gap.
The Digital Workforce Challenge has enormous potential to address the difficulties that today’s workforce and the workforce of the future will face. While technology is changing the very nature of work, 45 percent of employers surveyed report struggling to fill roles due to lack of skills. At the same time, some 30 to 45 percent of the working-age population around the world is underutilized.
“Technological transformation creates both hurdles and opportunities for the workforce,” said Kathy Mulvany, Head of Global Impact at ServiceNow. “We believe that technology should be in the service of people. ServiceNow is partnering with MIT Solve to accelerate and expand the opportunities afforded by technology so that everyone – including those left behind and most marginalized – can fully participate, engage in higher-value work, and create prosperous livelihoods for themselves.”
Entries are now open and will close on March 2, 2020. Finalists will be selected on April 2, 2020 and will have a slot reserved for them to pitch their ideas at the Knowledge 2020 conference hosted by ServiceNow in Orlando, Florida from May 3-7, 2020. The winning team will receive US$100,000 as well as skills-based mentorship and media opportunities from ServiceNow.
Knowledge 2020 is where extraordinary people come together to take work to the next level by delivering modern digital workflows that unlock productivity and transform the world of work. It is a one-of-a-kind event where people from around the world gather to get inspired, educated and connected by ServiceNow experts and their peers from every industry.
“As technology changes the nature of many jobs and entire industries, now is the time to ensure that the people who are most vulnerable to these changes are well equipped to thrive in the 21st century,” said Matthew Minor, Director, International Programs at MIT Solve. “After launching several Solve Global Challenges around skills development and economic inclusion, MIT Solve seeks to expand its impact through new partnerships. As a leader in workplace productivity, ServiceNow is an ideal partner to help solve this problem.”
Teams with a solution are invited to apply through MIT Solve’s open innovation platform, on the Digital Workforce Challenge website. The competition is open to solutions that are 1) Currently deployed in one or more of ServiceNow’s primary markets: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, and Japan, and/or 2) Operating and showing promise in another geography, and ready to be deployed in one or more of ServiceNow’s primary markets.
MIT Solve is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that advances lasting solutions from tech entrepreneurs to address the world’s most pressing problems. Solve issues four Global Challenges each year to find the most promising Solver teams who will drive transformational change. Solve then deploys its global community of private, public, and nonprofit leaders to form the partnerships these Solver teams need to scale their impact. Join the community at solve.mit.edu.
