Guyana wins Coursera Talent Award for regional leadership

​Guyana was named the winner of Coursera’s Regional Talent Transformation Award for Latin America and the Caribbean. Coursera is a global online platform that partners with universities and institutions to deliver flexible, affordable, and job-relevant online learning to individuals and organisations worldwide.

Affirming Guyana’s position as a leader in digital skills training and workforce development across the region, the award was presented during the official launch of the Public Service Upskilling Programme at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Monday.

The platform is an initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation

The Vice President of Coursera, Zac Rule, noted during the launch that he is honoured to be a part of digital Guyana and looks forward to continuing their multi-year partnership with Guyana.

This award recognises Guyana’s outstanding achievement in empowering citizens through online learning and workforce development initiatives.

Guyana’s partnership with Coursera began during the COVID-19 Pandemic when the platform launched the Workforce Recovery Initiative programme through collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning.

The Workforce Recovery Initiative is a response to the employment challenges that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

At the end of that programme, 36,000 Guyanese citizens had acquired new skills. Almost 200,000 course enrollments occurred, and over 50,000 professional certificates were issued in business, technology, and data science.

Additionally, in recent years, Guyana has strengthened its partnership with Coursera through the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN) under the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, which has helped women gain new skills and achieve financial independence.

The Ministry of Health received help to improve healthcare education. Coursera is working with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Public Affairs on digital literacy initiatives.

This collaboration culminated in 2024 with the launch of the Guyana Coursera National Training Initiative. The president’s initiative offers every Guyanese and public sector employee free education and skill training on Coursera.