Coursera will continue to offer massive open online
courses from prestigious colleges and universities from around the world.
However, the ed-tech platform is also branching out to corporate learning and development.
The company recently launched Coursera for Business in
response to large numbers of employees signing up for its classes in
professional development. That should be a profitable venture since the 2015
Annual Training report found 70% of responding companies in the United States
use learning management systems, virtual classrooms, webcasting, and other
e-learning platforms to train their employees.
“We have 21 million registered users and are adding
about a half-a-million registered users per month,” said Coursera CEO Rick
Levin in an article for TechCrunch. “When we looked at the email addresses of our learners, we
would see thousands signing up from one corporate email domain, tens of
thousands in one case.”
Classes in the new program focus on tech skills for
employees. Companies using Coursera for Business content can track the progress
of their employees, who can earn certificates upon successful completion of a
course.
