Reskill to rebuild: coursera’s global partnership with government to support workforce recovery at scale

Abstract

Massively open online courses (MOOCs) represent an incumbent technology that, in light of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, are receiving renewed attention, with innovative applications for lifelong learning. Through their scalable virtual delivery, sophisticated data architecture, and focus on emerging digital skills, MOOCs represent an agile foundation on which a modern learning society can be built and scaled to effectively serve a global population. This chapter explores applications of online learning platforms and MOOCs to create a modern learning society through an examination of Coursera’s postpandemic Workforce Recovery initiative, in which the company partnered with over 300 governments and workforce intermediaries to provide access to no-cost digital upskilling for displaced workers across the globe. In a time of economic, technological, and societal disruption, online learning platforms represent a low-cost, scalable approach to delivering customized, timely, and job-relevant training to a multitude of learners. The chapter includes an overview of skills transformation in Asia and the Pacific as viewed through the lens of Coursera’s 70+ million users and its 2020 Global Skills Index. A summary of initial findings from the Workforce Recovery initiative is presented, with highlights from across Asia and the Pacific, as well as a discussion of leading practices and lessons learned to date. The chapter concludes with a forward-looking vision for how online learning could support workforce reskilling on a global scale.