Coursera partners with 700 business schools on global education initiative

Global partnership launched to meet the needs of graduates, business schools and employers

Highered (@Highered_org), the careers platform for EFMD  (@EFMDNews), is partnering with Coursera (@coursera), one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, to launch a global education initiative to help bridge the skills gap.

The initiative will enable students from 700 business schools in 90 countries to access more than 5,000 courses and 1,900 Guided Projects on Coursera. By accessing a broad catalogue of content in high-demand fields, including data science, technology, and business, students can learn job-relevant skills needed for specific industries, companies, and roles.

It is predicted that there will be 149 million new digital jobs by 2025^[1], and the roles most in demand are data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, big data, digital marketing and strategy, and process automation^[2]. 

“There is a clear gap in the provision of skills and graduates being job-ready. Much of that is due to the speed of changing job requirements,” comments Bernt Blankholm, CEO of Highered. “The initiative will enable the needs and demands of graduates, employers and business schools to be brought closer together,” he adds.

Business school students and graduates will have access to customised learning plans tailored to employer needs. The initiative will contain courses from employers such as Google, Facebook, BCG, IBM, and Microsoft. As new courses are added, learning plans will be developed and updated in collaboration with companies and business schools.

“The partnership brings multiple benefits. Graduates will be able to identify the expertise that employers are demanding and undertake relevant learning quickly and flexibly. Employers can reduce onboarding time for new employees by having graduates that already have the necessary skills and knowledge. Business schools can offer more comprehensive support to their students and better prepare them for job roles,” says Bernt Blankholm.

The initiative will be accessible to all students or graduates from all EFMD member institutions.

“The acceleration caused by the pandemic has reshaped many roles and created new ones across sectors,” said Anthony Tattersall, Vice President, Enterprise EMEA, Coursera. “Our partnership with Highered will help close the skills gap and develop job-ready graduates for employers.”