The Catholic International Education Office (OIEC) announced today that they, in partnership with Microsoft, will bring Office 365 and other resources to more than 200,000 Catholic schools all over the world with the potential to reach 43 million students.

Microsoft Office 365 for education is a free tool for teachers and students. The software will allow teachers and students to do a number of things, including working together on class projects and documents, have virtual meetings, and participate in instant messaging and video conferencing from anywhere in the world. They’ll also be able to create and maintain websites with an easy edit tool, and access a new “Social Network of Catholic Education,” designed by Microsoft.

The Catholic church is being very progressive for once in doing this to help their students get the technological skills needed for a 21st century world.

Anthony Salcito, Vice President of Worldwide Education at Microsoft had this to say:

“We need to continue to get creative about the ways technology can make a real impact in the lives of students and prepare them for the jobs of the future. Through this partnership, we will do just that. I am proud the leadership of the Catholic International Education Office has chosen to partner with Microsoft to deliver on their commitment to educators and students to modernize its schools and further its mission to promote education for all. Together, we can make a real impact in the classroom for both students and educators, and look forward to taking this journey with the Catholic community around the world.”

Research indicates that in the next decade, 77 percent of all jobs will require technical skills of some sort, so when OIEC make announcement like this one to integrate Office 365, It shows how dynamic the Catholic church can be.