Anthony Tattersall, Vice President, EMEA
Today, we proudly announce that Coursera is partnering with Saudi Arabia’s National eLearning Center (NELC), to launch a nationwide skill development program. Through this initiative, NELC, established as an independent entity run by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Council of Ministers, aims to further its mission of enhancing trust in and leading innovation in online learning.
Together, we will equip learners across Saudi Arabia with the high-demand digital skills needed to participate in the workforce and advance their education and careers in the new economy.
Learners will receive access to thousands of high-quality online courses from over 250 top university and industry leaders worldwide, including Yale University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, Google, IBM, and Microsoft. This includes 15 entry-level Professional Certificates, which help learners develop skills for fast-growing, entry-level digital jobs. Learners will also benefit from a world-class online, mobile, and hands-on learning experience while earning job-relevant credentials for courses they complete.
In addition, this partnership will offer Saudi Arabian learners access to over 1,900 Guided Projects on Coursera, which allow learners to gain hands-on experience and earn high-demand skills in less than two hours, with step-by-step guidance from an instructor.
Coursera currently has over 600,000 enrolled learners in Saudi Arabia, with over 40,000 new learners in the last three months alone. This partnership expands upon our commitment, enabling access to Coursera for all university students and government employees in the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia is one of the region’s top-performing nations for skills proficiency. According to Coursera’s 2021 Global Skills Report, the kingdom is classified as cutting-edge for business skills, ranking 4th in the Middle East and Africa. Access to courses such as Machine Learning (Stanford University) and Foundations: Data, Data Everywhere (Google) will further enhance the country’s Technology and Data Science skills, currently at 54% proficiency and 18% proficiency, respectively.
“Working with Coursera as a key strategic partner significantly expands the opportunities for our learners and institutions to access world-class educational content, faculty and institutions” said Dr. Abdullah Alwalidi, the Director General of NELC. “Through this relationship, we ensure that NELC continues supporting the skills demands of the rapidly-changing employment market, resulting in continuous development of the Kingdom’s human capabilities.”
We’re excited to help Saudi Arabian learners develop the skills necessary to prepare for the digital economy, adjust to a rapidly-changing workplace, and unlock new career opportunities.
To sign up for the initiative, visit FutureX. To learn more about Coursera for Government, visit coursera.org/government.
