‘The MOOCs sounds great, but will I get a job after completing it?’ is a typical question we, at the IIMBx MOOCs Programme, often hear when we talk about our Massive Open Online Courses and lifelong learning.
Converging Marketplace of Digital Learning Credentials
Skills Marketplace: Picture courtesy https://www.flickr.com/photos/photobom/36056608455/
The answer is ‘We are definitely getting there,’ and I say that for two converging reasons:
- Supply: Like any other consumer-driven movement, this recruitment world is also witnessing the slow (yet steady) onslaught of online credentials as students and professionals are acquiring skills through digital learning. With automation (threatening to) take away jobs in the 4th industrial revolution, skillset and workplace requirement are changing rapidly. Technology is perceived as the way to keep pace and secure a place in the workplace of 2030.
- Demand: Digital Learning is the #2 topic in the minds of HR heads, according to a recent report on Human Capital Trends. Requirement for nonlinear skills coupled with convergence of existing job roles into new ones is forcing companies to look for people with multiple skills and invest in digitally upskilling existing employees.
Micro Credentials for the Job Seeker
Certificate: Picture courtesy Pixabay
MOOC Providers like EdX, Coursera, Udacity and FutureLearn are offering micro credentials and creating academic content to keep pace with the changing nature of industry needs. It could be argued that these programmes are better targeted to job requirements and possibly as worthy as degrees to a prospective or existing employer. Stackable credentials like MicroMasters and Nanodegrees are focused on jobs and are finding recognition with industry and employers. Coursera’s Learner Outcome Survey found that 84% of career-focused learners who completed courses reported career benefits and 18% started a new career after taking a MOOC.
The job seeker is ready, the credential is ready, are you hiring?
Yes! The IIMBx MOOCs Programme recently decided to walk the talk and got on board a Front-end Web Developer who proudly showcased his Online Nanodegree. Inayat, a young M.Tech. graduate who recently earned the Udacity Full Stack Developer Nanodegree is equally pleased and says,
“I knew I needed something extra to get a job of my choice, something that would help me keep pace with the fast-growing tech world. Initially, I didn’t have much faith in online courses, but the journey has been amazing. And the outcome is that I got a job through it in the digital learning industry. I am going to focus on using my newly acquired digital skills in creating an IIMBx platform that helps many others like me. ”
Just as Netflix transformed the way people watched ‘TV’ shows, platforms like edX, Coursera, Udacity, LinkedIn and a host of others are unbundling the education, skilling, hiring and upskilling cycle. Are you ready to hire the ‘digital’ way?
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