By: Dwight Links
Coursera’s ‘Learners Outcome Report’ notes that the professional landscape is currently evolving at a pace where employees would continuously have to upskill in order to stay relevant in the sectors they find themselves in.
“In an era marked by rapid technological advancement and economic disruption, access to quality education is a critical catalyst for personal and professional growth,” the report indicates, noting that the roles contained in job descriptions are changing rapidly, forcing professionals to adapt to the changing landscape of required skillsets.
Respondents to the report spanned from North America (20%), Middle East & North Africa (6%), Sub-Saharan Africa (16%), India (18%), Europe (17%), Asia Pacific (15%) and Latin America (8%).
“As job roles evolve—and new ones emerge—driven by innovations like artificial intelligence, individuals must continually adapt and upskill to stay competitive,” the report encourages.
In anticipation of the kinds of jobs which could be phased out and their alternatives, the World Economic Forum indicated that 92 million jobs would become extinct, but that 170 million would in turn be created.
“Suggesting that the future workforce will be substantially reshaped, not erased. Yet persistent disparities in access to quality education remain a major barrier to economic opportunity worldwide,” the report highlights on the anticipated impact and the role education plays in this change.
This report also details findings from a 15-minute online survey that was taken by 52 862 global learners (among which 45 708 were learning for career-related reasons) across 179 countries who completed a course or micro-credential program on Coursera between 1 June 2023 and 30 November 2024.
“While learners enroll in courses and programs for a wide variety of reasons, most learners turn to online platforms from across the globe to transform their career. 86% of these learners were turning to preferred online platforms,” indicated the report.
This is coupled with the learners’ need to change their career path and improve their skills for said new roles.
“They want to land their first professional job, switch careers, advance in their current roles, or grow their own business. Due to this overwhelming preference for professional development, all data in this report focuses specifically on career-focused learners,” added the report.
Of the surveyed learners, 37% were enhancing their skills to advance in their current job or career field. 21% were taking the courses to learn skills to get hired into their first professional job, 20% were looking to switch to a different career field by developing skills, and 11% were learning out of personal interest. 8% were studying online to develop skills to start or grow their own business, while the final 3% studied for other primary enrollment goals.
“Learners in emerging economies are more likely to report positive career outcomes than those in advanced economies (94% vs. 84%), and they are 74% more likely to report advancing to a
higher job level after their course (33% vs. 19%). Among women, nearly half (48%) report a salary increase after completing a course—slightly higher than men (45%),” shared Greg Hart from Coursera on the varying trends from the respondents.
