What is the thing you love or know most about in the world? Would you want to become famous for it?
Fat Bears
What animal behaviors fascinate you?
Film Club: ‘Leaf and Death’
What are your favorite sights, sounds, tastes and smells of fall?
Coursera appoints Hadi Moussa as General Manager and Managing Director to Accelerate Growth in Europe, Middle-East and Africa
by Anthony Tattersall, Vice-President for EMEA, Coursera
Today, we proudly welcome Hadi Moussa as new General Manager and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In this new role, Hadi will work closely with the EMEA leadership team to define the business strategy and help drive new growth in the region across Coursera’s consumer, degree, and enterprise business segments including Coursera for Business, Coursera for Campus, and Coursera for Government.
Hadi brings almost 20 years of consumer and B2B experience to the role and has previously held regional leadership positions at brands such as Deliveroo, Airbnb, and Facebook. His knowledge and expertise in growing technology brands at international scale will help shape Coursera’s own growth ambitions in EMEA.
EMEA is a key region for Coursera, with more than 25 million registered users and more than 1,000 companies using the platform to learn high-demand skills and unlock new career opportunities. With the expansion of EMEA’s digital economy, companies are now prioritising developing the high-demand digital and human skills required to build a competitive and equitable workforce. In the first half of 2022, more than 120 companies launched, renewed or expanded their Coursera for Business licences in EMEA to help upskill and reskill their workforce. This includes more than 60 new customers, such as Siemens, Aker Solutions, Sanofi, and IKEA.
“The EMEA region offers huge potential for Coursera as both learners and institutions continue to embrace online learning to gain in-demand skills. Stronger collaboration with businesses, higher education institutions and governments will be critical to fully unlocking this opportunity and advancing Coursera’s mission in the region,” said Hadi Moussa, General Manager and Managing Director, EMEA at Coursera. “It is hugely motivating, and a great privilege, to join a company that is bringing greater equity to education and the workforce. I can’t wait to get started.”
“I am thrilled to welcome Hadi to the Coursera team,” said Leah Belsky, Chief Enterprise Officer at Coursera. “Hadi has shaped strategy for some of the largest technology companies in the world, launching and growing brands that challenge the industry status quo. His track record in scaling high-growth brands in rapidly evolving markets ensures that we have the expertise to drive business growth and accelerate momentum in the region.”
We’re excited to continue scaling our impact and reach across EMEA, expand our workforce development initiatives, and help the region’s institutions prepare for the digital future.
Word of the Day: homage
This word has appeared in 437 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
So Much to Learn, Too Little Time: How to Navigate the L&D Paradox
By Leah Belsky, Chief Enterprise Officer at Coursera
Despite dramatic shifts in the economy—from soaring inflation to the growing risk of recession—voluntary resignation rates among employees remain high and 40% of workers plan to leave their jobs in the next three to six months.
In short, even in uncertain economic conditions talent moves quickly. However, this doesn’t mean better retention is a pipedream—Deloitte research shows that “good” skills development programs in the workplace mean employees are twice as likely to remain with their current employer than those with “fair” or “poor” programs.
With a potential recession ahead, and skills shortages piling pressure on organizations, it’s up to the leaders to revitalize people and talent strategies to meet employee expectations. The priority should be demonstrating the value of investing in employee learning and showing employees their worth, while also securing the skills the business needs.
First, though, leaders must overcome a learning and development (L&D) paradox: balancing the clear employee desire—and business need—for skills development in the workplace with the limited time employees have at their disposal.
Tackling the L&D paradox with stackable and adaptable learning programs
Despite both business and employee good intentions, too often skills development in the workplace is seen as something to be squeezed around other work priorities. In fact, 60 percent of employees spend less than one hour on learning per sitting.
Finding ways to help employees balance access to impactful learning programs within realistic time frames isn’t simple—particularly in a complex world of work with various competing priorities.
The typical response to this challenge has often been to offer short-form content that employees can complete during the little time they have available. But these courses have to align with employees’ personal needs and the needs of the business to truly fill the gap.
At Coursera, we’ve invested in short-form content, but by conducting research with learners and learning leaders, we focus on bringing a higher-value offering to the market. Our short-form content, called Coursera Clips, is designed with skill development in mind. Our stackability model, on the other hand, allows employees to choose microlearning while continuing on paths to skill development.
Here’s what we found is a better way of overcoming the learning paradox, getting the best from teams with the little time they have available to learn:
- Making learning programs flexible. Whether learning in a traditional office setup or on the go during a commute, meeting the needs of a mobile workforce means offering learning that can be consumed on the go – anytime, anywhere.
- Catering to your employees’ existing foundational knowledge. Offer courses for all levels and needs and measure your employees’ proficiency to assign them to the right recommendations, through Coursera’s LevelSets.
- Offering a mix of learning formats and allowing them to stack for deeper learning experiences. From micro-learning through 5-10 minute videos found in Clips on Coursera, to hands-on learning through Guided Projects, Courses, and job-ready Professional Certificates, make it not only about the course your employees complete but about the journey, your employees are embarked on.
Put another way, an engaging and impactful skills development program starts with recognizing there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to learning and it’s much more complex than it may seem.
If you’re ready to learn more—from how to identify skill gaps to launching an end-to-end approach to skills development—download Coursera’s new e-book, ‘Evolving Your Talent Strategy: The Urgent Need for Workplace Learning—and How to Execute on It’. A one-stop shop for transforming your approach to upskilling and reskilling, giving you the know-how necessary to create a more engaging, skilled, and impactful workplace.
Make Mental Health a Priority
For many years, the focus was on being physically healthy and thinking about financial wellness. Little or no attention was paid to Mental health. Ignoring mental health can have devastating effects on your body and life. The good news is that in recent years, there is more attention paid to mental health and many conversations are being had about the debilitating illness and its effects. Now more than ever, it’s time to Make mental health a priority. Let’s look at how you can do this in your life.
World Mental Health Day
The 10th of October is World Mental Health Day. This global awareness day is aimed at highlighting various issues experienced globally and to mobilise effort to support those with mental health. It also provides individuals, organisations, governments, and companies to rally around the issue and talk about what can be done to make mental health care a priority for people. It’s also driven by the reality that support and care is accessible and to make mental health for all a global priority.
Understanding Mental Health
Mental health and illness are a general term used to describe several psychological disorders. These include, but are not limited to anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
What Are the Benefits of Having Good Mental Health?
When we are mentally strong and healthy, we enjoy a good quality of life and what it has to offer. We are more productive, feel more fulfilled, we are expectant, optimistic, creative, and open to living. We are also better equipped to cope when dark times come, and difficult situations arise.
- Positive self-image
- Healthy relationships
- A healthy work-life balance
- Increased learning, creativity
- Reduced risk of depression
The past few years have been challenging on people’s mental and emotional health to say the least. The knock-on challenges and effects from the pandemic played a significant role on many people. The effects are still evident today. We can get so busy trying to survive the various storms that we don’t take care of our mental health. But it’s time to make our mental health a priority.
8 Ways to Make Mental Health a Priority
Our mental health influences how we think, feel, how we handle situations, and the choices we make. We need to realise that our mental health plays in our everyday life and affects every area of our lives. This stresses the need to prioritise it more than ever. Here are a few ways you can make your mental health a priority.
- Move. The mind and body are linked. Physical exercise releases happy hormones, endorphins, that give you energy and improve your mood. ‘moving’ doesn’t necessarily mean pumping iron and lifting weights in the gym. Dance, yoga, hiking, cycling, or going for a walk every day – whatever your idea of a great time, do it.
- Get support. We were not created to do life alone. Not everyone is fortunate to have family or friends close by or that they can confide in. However, cultivating a solid support system for yourself is key. Join support groups if you can and make friends who will be able to support you through your hard seasons.
- Seek help. Despite the stigma attached to mental health, there is no shame in asking for help when you need it. Seeking help doesn’t make you weak. If anything, it’s a sign of strength. “It may sound paradoxical, but strength comes from vulnerability” – Barack Obama
- Educate yourself on mental health. It’s important to know what mental health is and isn’t. Knowing the signs, symptoms, triggers, and other vital information arms you with knowledge about what you can do to begin your healing.
- Practice self-care. Self-care is not just laying in a bubble bath with a face mask and lit candles. It’s giving your body what it needs to function at its best. Become friends with your body, eat well, set goals for yourself, and limit stress. If you don’t pick a day to relax, your body will pick it for you.
- Rest. Don’t be too busy to rest. Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together. Try to set and keep to a strict sleep schedule. You will wake up fresh and with energy to tackle the day ahead.
- Set boundaries. When you say ‘yes’ to everything, you’re also saying yes to the time, energy and effort required for that task or activity. Know your limits and the capacity you must take on more of anything. Learn how to say “no”.
- Reduce screen time. Phones, TV, laptops. It seems we don’t know how to switch off. This is not to say don’t watch your favourite shows, movies, or see what your friends are up to on social media. But really, just to be cognizant of how all you consume could make you start doubting the beauty of your life or pressure you into thinking you’re not doing as well as someone’s highlight reel. What we consume can consume us.
No one is immune to the harsh realities of life. This can be our friends, family, neighbours, or even colleagues. Mental health issues have no regard for age, race, creed, or economic standing. We all experience life’s challenges and stressors. Although these may look different to each person and have a different effect on them, life hits us all. Anyone can suffer from mental health issues.
If you think you need help, take our free online mental health assessment to understand and enhance your personal levels of positivity and confidence in your life.
The more you know about mental health, the more empowered you are to offer help to those around us and even ourselves. Choose everyday to make your mental health a priority.
Coursera for Government Increases Job Placement by an Average of 27% for Workforce Development Customers
By Kevin Mills, Vice President, Coursera for Government
A new IDC white paper, sponsored by Coursera, explores the benefits and organizational value of workforce development programs provided through Coursera for Government.
Despite initial gains following the onset of the pandemic, the global economic situation is uncertain. The International Labor Organization projects global unemployment has surpassed its 2019 level by nearly 21 million. Workers in low-wage jobs have felt this impact the hardest with global management firm, McKinsey and Company estimating that low-wage workers may comprise 43% to 64% of global workers displaced due to the trends influenced by COVID-19.
Meanwhile, employers are facing an unprecedented shortage of talent trained in digital skills. IDC reports that digital transformation-related IT skill shortages will affect 90% of all organizations by 2025, “costing over $6.5 trillion globally through 2025 due to delayed product releases, reduced customer satisfaction, and loss of business.”
To face these challenges, workforce development leaders are tasked with providing relevant and engaging skills development programs that prepare job-seekers for the in-demand jobs of today and for the jobs of the future.
Organizations partner with Coursera for Government to launch large-scale online programs that enable thousands of job-seekers to learn career-relevant skills. Based on interviews with seven Coursera for Government customers, who represent a broad and significant portion of the types of governments currently using Coursera’s services, IDC calculates that these benefits resulted in an average of a 27% increase in job placement among these customers.
While the experiences of each customer and their learners in adopting learning tools and programs may differ based on a number of factors, this report captures the real experiences of a select number of C4G customers at this important and dynamic time, as self-reported to IDC.
Additional benefits include:
Lowered training costs: The Coursera for Government customers interviewed reported a 50% reduction in the number of learning platforms used to meet their workforce development needs.
Job-seekers trained in less time: One organization reported that candidates were ready for the job market in half the time compared with other learning programs, while another reported that learners were able to shorten the time to complete courses from 24 weeks to 6 weeks.
Learner-reported career benefits: According to another organization, 80% of learners reported career benefits from Coursera such as increased confidence to switch to a different field, increased opportunities for promotions, and an increase in interviews secured.
High learner satisfaction: On average learners enrolled in the programs of the Coursera for Government customers interviewed provided courses with a rating of 4.8 out of 5 with one organization reporting that 90% of learners plan to continue using Coursera to build their career pathways.
The COVID-19 pandemic likely impacted the effects of learning and learning outcomes. For example, displaced workers may have had more time to complete online training programs and a greater number of jobs relying on digital skills taught by such programs may have been available.
However, the experience of these Coursera for Government customers demonstrates the value of quality online skill development programs, particularly at a time when these services are greatly in demand by governments and citizens.
As one Coursera customer interviewed by IDC shares, “Coursera is a valuable gateway back into learning.”
Read the full IDC white paper on Coursera for Government here.
How Long Do You Hope to Live at Home?
Many Gen Zers are moving back home — or in with grandparents. Do you think you might want to remain with family after school? Or, are you excited to live on your own?
Lesson Plan: Documenting Indigenous Culture Through Photography
Matika Wilbur is trying to photograph every federally recognized tribe in the United States. In this lesson, students will learn about why she believes that her project is vital to counter centuries of misrepresentation.
