UPDATED 12:06 EDT / JANUARY 24 2017

APPS

Coursera launches e-learning platform for governments and nonprofits

E-learning company Coursera Inc. has launched a new education platform for governments and nonprofits.

Coursera’s new program will offer affordable curated learning programs that target each organization’s specific needs. For example, many of the courses focus on business skills or English language communication.

“With today’s rapid pace of technological and economic change, we know that the skills gap is widening worldwide: people need new skills to succeed in the changing economy, and companies can’t find the talent they need to grow and thrive,” said Rebecca Taber, head of government partnerships at Coursera. “Governments and nonprofits are on the front lines of efforts to close that gap, and through Coursera for Governments & Nonprofits, we’ll join forces with them to prepare their communities for the jobs of the future.”

As part of the new program, Coursera announced that it has formed partnerships with government agencies and nonprofits from several countries around the world. In the U.S., this includes the Institute for Veterans & Military Families at Syracuse University, which will use Coursera to offer transitional training for military veterans who are returning to civilian life. Other countries who have partnered with Coursera include Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Mongolia, Pakistan and Singapore.

“Scaling skill development across the country is a critical challenge for us to achieve our economic development goals in Kazakhstan,” said Governor Kelimbetov of the Astana International Finance Centre. “The scale and quality that Coursera provides offers an extremely promising solution.”

Founded in 2012, Coursera partners with academic institutions and business to offer training and continuing education courses that range simple business skills, such as creating spreadsheets, to more complicated subjects like programming. Users can pay to participate in individual classes, or they can join a specialization to take several classes in one subject over a period of several months. Coursera also offers online degrees, including accredited master’s degrees.

Coursera has been steadily widening its scope over the last few years. In August, the company launched the enterprise-focused Coursera for Business, which allows companies to develop a custom curriculum for their employees and use their own web portal and branding to access Coursera.

Image courtesy of Coursera

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