HP, following the global CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program, also started its cooperation with JA Greece, in order to stand close to young people and help them develop their skills and expand their knowledge in the field of digital marketing, business administration and other issues.
“In our first project with JA Greece a volunteer participated, who helped the children in a school, to develop a tourist portal for their island as part of the VIRTUAL BUSINESS program of JA. Thanks to its success, we expanded our cooperation in 2021 by offering HP LIFE courses as a source for students participating in the Startup program of JA.”, said Matthaios Makrypoulias, Corporate Supplies Specialist & Sustainability Champion for Greece and Cyprus and lead volunteer.
HP LIFE is a free IT and business skills training program from the HP Foundation. It is accessible online or offline offering more than 30 courses in eight languages for entrepreneurs, business owners and lifelong learners around the world. It is also a customizable educational resource used by educators, teachers and mentors to enrich curricula, support business creation and improve employment skills.
In addition, HP Life’s Success Mindset course became mandatory for students participating in the Startup program and was integrated into JA’s Learning Management System (LMS). The course is one of the many that students must attend in order to receive the JA’s Entrepreneurial Skills Pass, an international qualification that enhances knowledge, their skills and abilities.
“Adding the success culture directly to the LMS gives students a more seamless learning experience.We wanted to take this experience a step further and the 40 Days of Doing Good gave us the opportunity.”, stressed Mr Makrypoulias.
40 Days of Doing Good is the HP Foundation’s annual global employee volunteer campaign. It provides an opportunity for HP employees to come together to support local communities through volunteering. Employees can also apply for a cash grant for the charity supported by their 40 Days of Doing Good volunteer activities.
Funding by the HP Foundation enabled JA Greece to fund the translation of three HP LIFE courses into Greek—Art of Sales: The Fundamentals of Selling, Design Thinking and 3D Printing. The translated courses were incorporated into JA’s LMS enabling Greek students to learn basic skills and concepts in their mother tongue.
To further support the students of the Startup program, HP’s volunteer team of employees developed a customized business webinar entitled “From University Today to Business Tomorrow.” Twenty-five students attended the 60-minute session during which five HP volunteer employees, including Mr. Makrypoulias, gave their personal opinion on the skills and characteristics required for a successful transition from university to the workplace.
Motivated by their achievements, Matthaios Makrypoulias and the HP volunteer team are working with JA Greece to translate three more HP LIFE courses and develop additional student webinars in 2022.
“Education is a human right and technology can be an excellent equalizer. With the HP LIFE program, we have managed to give the opportunity to those who wish to learn, train, create and claim more opportunities in today’s market.The interactive and innovative courses of the HP LIFE platform contribute to this goal, actively supporting the communities in which HP operates.”, stated said Mr. Nikos Christakis, CEO of HP Hellas.
HP LIFE was launched in 2021 in Greece, in collaboration with the Digital Citizens Academy, which hosts seven courses of the program. So far in Greece, more than 500 people have entered this platform and more than 53% have completed the courses online, while since 2016, more than 400,000 users have registered for HP LIFE worldwide, targeting 1 million users by 2025.