The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has announced a new partnership with Coursera, to provide Minnesotans FREE career-based, online learning resources.

Coursera offers 3,800 courses and training modules from over 200 top businesses and universities, including more than 60 courses from the University of Minnesota. These learning opportunities are aimed at both preparing people for in-demand jobs and upskilling employees at businesses.

Consider using Coursera to train your current or prospective employees. Employers, managers and HR professionals are encouraged to request access for themselves to identify potential courses of value for their employees. There are many industry-specific courses on the platform, along with other courses that could be helpful professional and personal development resources. 

Coursera provides an opportunity to supplement traditional training offerings during this time of pandemic. This is important because some traditional training options are limited due to social distancing and other health and safety requirements and some people may not feel comfortable participating in in-person training at this time. As everyone is learning how to operate in a virtual space, this useful tool may be used to complement existing training opportunities. 

Businesses and all Minnesotans interested in taking advantage of this FREE opportunity with Coursera MUST register before December 31, 2020 and will have free access to the platform through March 2021. Learners need to be enrolled in courses by February 28, 2021.

You can find out more about Coursera and register for access at CareerForceMN.com/Coursera. After you complete and submit the Platform Access Request form on that page, within three business days you will receive an activation email from a Coursera email account that will include a link to set up an account. Once you set up your account, you will have access to the mobile-friendly and accessible Coursera platform right away.  

If you have questions about how this could be a tool for businesses during the pandemic, you can email Jackie Buck at jacqueline.buck@state.mn.us or reach out to your regional Workforce Strategy Consultant.

NOTE: REGISTRATION FOR FREE COURSERA TRAINING VIA THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (DEED) CLOSED ON DECEMBER 31, 2020.