Dubai: Coursera’s MENA outreach spells good news for developing human capital

Dubai: Coursera’s MENA outreach spells good news for developing human capital

Jeff Maggioncalda, the CEO of the leading American edtech company, outlines ambitious expansion plans for the region

Chief Executive Officer of Coursera during the interview with Khaleej Times in Dubai

By Joydeep Sen Gupta Published: Sun 16 Oct 2022, 5:50 PM Last updated: Sun 16 Oct 2022, 6:18 PM

Jeff Maggioncalda, who joined Coursera as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in June 2017, told Khaleej Times during his recent trip to Dubai about how Coursera — the leading American edtech company — "broadened the ambit of his courses from advanced data and analytics, cloud computing to psychology and social sciences".

The pioneering edtech firm started bringing in industry partners, not just universities, on board for job-related training exercises.

"Individuals who may not have a relevant degree or a digital profile but can develop a skill set to remain relevant in the job market," an affable Maggioncalda said.

"We've been creating industry micro-credentials for where all the young populations are, such as the Middle East, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Governments across the world are realising that they need to change their educational policies to facilitate these online micro-credentials being built into the education systems to make them accessible to all. This is a valiant attempt to tap