Online learning company Coursera has announced a new initiative designed to help people who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. Under this initiative, various governments can sign up to participate in the program, making it available to unemployed individuals as a way to help them score new jobs. The initiative includes 3,800 classes, as well as professional certificates.
Coursera, as with similar platforms like edX, offers the public access to thousands of classes from universities, colleges, and other higher education institutions around the world. These classes are taught by professors and other experts, offering anyone access to educational opportunities.
The platform is split into two categories: free and paid. Users who want to put the completed programs and classes on their resumes can opt to pay for a certificate after completing each course, otherwise, they’re only able to ‘audit’ a course without getting a final certificate.
On Friday, Coursera announced its new Workforce Recovery Initiative, which is allowing local through federal governments to sign up (until September 30) to participate; these agencies can then provide access to the free courses to the unemployed individuals they’re supporting.
In addition to classes on things like business English, foreign languages, and data science, the platform also includes things like the Google IT Support Professional Certificate. Though taking some classes through Coursera is unlikely to be enough to score someone a job, they can help boost a resume and may increase one’s odds of getting the gig.
