Coursera's Career Academy target leaners for in-demand careers

• Employees, students can reskill, upskill for new economy careers
• Offers professional certificates from Google, IBM, and Meta 

Coursera Inc has announced the launch of Career Academy for institutions, a new career training academy to prepare learners even those with no university degree or prior work experience for in-demand jobs with entry-level professional certificates from leading companies including Google, IBM, and Meta. 

In a statement, the online learning platform claimed that with Career Academy, higher education institutions, governments, and businesses can upskill and reskill entire populations of students, workers, and employees for new economy careers at unprecedented speed and scale.

It added that the launch comes at a pivotal time for Malaysia, as the country continues its efforts to prepare the workforce for the digital economy.

In Malaysia’s 2022 Budget announcement, the government has allocated US$251 million (RM1.1 billion) and encourages collaboration from industry players like Global Online Workforce, under the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation to carry out training and up-skilling programmes to produce a more digitally skilled workforce.

Jeff Maggioncalda, chief executive officer, Coursera said since 2020, the world has seen extraordinary change. 

“Online learning has accelerated, and we have been thrust into a new world of remote and hybrid work.

“Students and workers need access to flexible, affordable, and fast-tracked learning and career pathways to take advantage of these unprecedented career opportunities,” he said.

Learners enrolled in an institution’s Career Academy can:

• Earn entry-level Professional Certificates from industry leaders including Google, IBM, and Meta to prepare for 18 in-demand careers like data analyst, UX designer, application developer, and social media marketer, among others. Each certificate is designed for learners without prior industry experience to complete in six to eight months on average (three to 10 hours per week), fully online;
• Get real-world experience with guided projects to develop skills in under two hours and stand out to employers during interviews and on-the-job. With hands-on learning and interactive assessments, learners apply essential skills by working with real-world industry tools; and
• Explore the right career path with an overview of common job titles, skill requirements, and average regionalised salary (where available). Learners have the flexibility to learn at their own pace fully online across web and mobile.

Coursera said it has also expanded the catalog of entry-level Professional Certificates with six new certificates from two industry leaders, which will prepare learners for each high-demand role. 

These certificates are available to all learners and, in the coming months, they will also be available as part of Career Academy: 

• Front-end developer, back-end developer, iOS developer, Android developer, and database engineer Professional Certificates from Meta. These five certificates will equip learners with the skills needed for entry-level jobs in some of the most in-demand software engineering roles; and
• IBM technical support Professional Certificate: This seven-course certificate helps learners prepare for a career in IT and tech support, covering key skills such as hardware and mobile device setup, software configuration, troubleshooting, and cybersecurity fundamentals.

To learn more about Career Academy, visit the following websites.

• Coursera for Campus
• Coursera for Government
• Coursera for Business