THE Private Sector Commission (PSC) and Coursera Inc. on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support a nationwide upskilling and reskilling initiative that will help people across all regions of Guyana.
PSC Chairman Paul Cheong said at the signing that because Guyana’s economy is growing at a rapid pace, it is creating an opening for the requisite skills to keep abreast of that kind of development.
“I think all Guyanese should be excited for this step; this means that this brings an opportunity for everyone to upskill themselves; to develop themselves and prepare themselves for the new Guyana,” Cheong said, adding:
“We need to, as citizens of this country, put ourselves in a place to optimise whatever benefits we can get through the contribution we will be making to our country’s development.”
Chad Pasha, Senior Adviser, Government Partnership, Coursera said that they are honoured to be partnering with the PSC to develop the skills most in demand across the private sector.
“As the country’s economic landscape rapidly evolves, it is imperative for Guyanese citizens to have the opportunity to learn the skills and earn the credentials needed to continuously prepare them for today’s and tomorrow’s job market,” Pasha said.
“There are now many fewer; much fewer barriers to accessing the world’s best Online education,” he added.
Pasha said that Coursera currently has 65,000 learners registered across all regions of Guyana, and that those learners are enrolled in over 248,000 courses, with the most popular ones reflecting the economic priorities of the labour market, and the drive for self-development.
“These include Introduction to Psychology from Yale University, followed very closely by Initiating and Planning Projects from the University of California, Irvine; Principles of Financial Accounting from IESE Business School, and, not surprisingly, Oil and Gas Industry Operations and Markets from Duke University,” Pasha explained.
He noted that, going forward, the PSC and Coursera will work together to understand the skills needed across private sector organisations, and the skills gaps within the labour force.
“We are currently working with the PSC to map these needs through a private sector survey, the results of which will inform tailored learning programmes and, ultimately, the project will offer different learning opportunities for individuals to access curated pathways with highly relevant and superior quality content from some of the most prestigious universities in the world,” Pasha said.
He added: “These include Princeton, Columbia, University of London, Imperial College, National University of Singapore, and the Indian School of Business among many, many others.”
Pasha noted that Coursera is confident that this partnership will contribute to bridging the gap between the labour force skills, and the emerging job market in Guyana.
