College Offers Employees Access to New Micro-Credential Program

The College of Charleston has partnered with global online learning platform Coursera to launch a new program providing industry-branded micro-credentials to faculty, staff, students and alumni at no cost. Employees will now be able to earn professional certificates for in-demand workplace skills through flexible, online training.

“This partnership will provide members of the College of Charleston community the opportunity to build skills using resources from some of the world’s leading companies,” says President Andrew T. Hsu. “As one of the oldest colleges in the nation, the College of Charleston is setting the blueprint for other liberal arts institutions to follow.”

The Career Academy on Coursera includes more than 45 entry-level professional certificates from leading companies such as Google, IBM, Microsoft and Salesforce.

“We are excited to offer faculty and staff such an extensive menu of classes through Coursera,” says Ed Pope, vice president of human resources at the College. “Coursera’s Career Academy gives our employees the opportunity not just to learn new skills, but to earn credentials that will give them a competitive edge in their careers here at the College and beyond. I hope our staff and faculty will take advantage of the professional development tools that Coursera offers.”

The program enables individuals to explore a wide range of in-demand career paths, such as data analyst, cybersecurity analyst, UX designer, application developer and social media marketer. Hands-on projects and interactive assessments allow individuals to apply their skills in real-world scenarios and practice using workplace tools.

“I am very excited about making Coursera’s Career Academy available to our College of Charleston community,” says Suzanne Austin, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “U.S. workforce needs are changing rapidly, and we need to provide resources so that students, faculty and staff can succeed in this environment.”

These high-quality, online courses consist of a series of modules with 10-minute video segments, readings, assignments and assessments that can be used to supplement content.

Employees may access Coursera through the “Coursera Career Academy” tile on MyPortal. This will take them to Coursera’s Career Academy just for College of Charleston faculty and staff, where they will create their Coursera account and explore their options by job category.

To learn more about Coursera for Campus, visit coursera.org/campus . College of Charleston alumni may access the Coursera Career Academy here.