S&P Global Expands $10m StepForward Initiative for AI-era Skills
Karachi: S&P Global and the S&P Global Foundation announced their support for StepForward, a three-year $10 million initiative aimed at equipping the next generation with the skills needed to succeed in an AI-enabled workforce.
Launched in December 2025, StepForward supports organizations delivering innovative workforce readiness and AI education programs globally. StepForward works through global and regional collaborators, complemented by skills-based volunteering that channels S&P Global employees’ expertise.
Mujeeb Zahur, Managing Director, S&P Global Pakistan, said, “Urdu AI will help provide accessible AI literacy training and facilitate workshops through mobile-friendly courses in Urdu to reach youth across Pakistan to build practical AI, problem-solving and digital skills — serving a global Urdu-speaking community of over 1 million learners.”
S&P Global Foundation also collaborated with MIT Solve through the Essential Innovation Challenge to identify six regional nonprofits that will deliver workforce development programs tailored to local market needs. These organizations are receiving funding from the S&P Global Foundation with the goal of scaling AI learning and human-centric skills including Urdu AI in Pakistan.
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“Pakistan’s next generation deserves to participate in the AI economy — in their own language, on their own terms. This partnership with S&P Global Foundation allows us to reach underserved communities across the country and ensure that no young person is left behind simply because AI education wasn’t available in Urdu,” said, Qaisar Roonjha, Founder, Urdu AI.
Generation and Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) will receive grants from the S&P Global Foundation to deliver AI-focused youth development and young adult employment programs across key markets.
The UN Youth Office, a United Nations Entity, will participate as a global collaborator supported through an S&P Global corporate-funded contribution. The organization plays a unique role as a global convener and amplifier with direct digital reach to over one million young people. They will focus on a global campaign to elevate awareness of the future-ready skills young people need to thrive in rapidly changing labor markets.
The S&P Global Foundation is a separate 501(c)(3) private foundation that conducts and supports charitable activities in furtherance of its mission, with funding and support from S&P Global. Charitable grants made by the S&P Global Foundation are awarded exclusively to eligible nonprofit organizations in accordance with the Foundation’s independent governance and approval processes. Corporate-funded contributions and collaborations are administered directly by S&P Global and may involve public institutions, multilateral organizations, or other mission-aligned entities.
S&P Global has long championed AI adoption and upskilling as part of workforce strategy through its EssentialTECH education, ‘AI for Everyone’ employee training, internal tools including Kensho Spark Assist, and a recent strategic partnership to strengthen workforce development and enable skills-based career mobility across the company.
