It’s no longer enough to rely on one skill. Every industry introduces new technology regularly, and workers must learn how to use it to perform their daily tasks and refresh their skills constantly. Digitalization allows everybody connected to the internet to access learning and acquire skills in step with a fast-changing world.

To develop an innovative lifelong learning system in the UAE, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has teamed up with the online learning platform Coursera, and an agreement was signed.

In addition to technical capabilities, lifelong learning develops transversal, social, and entrepreneurial skills, such as design thinking, initiative taking, team leading, activity reporting, or resource planning. 

While emphasizing the value of lifelong learning as a crucial strategy for enhancing one’s abilities and competencies, Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, said it boosts people’s productivity, encourages inventiveness and entrepreneurial spirit, and teaches new abilities.

To facilitate the shift to a knowledge-based economy, Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, emphasized the significance of career-relevant, approachable, and flexible learning options, with a heavy emphasis on micro-credentials. 

Universities have a fundamental role in this journey. As higher education is in for a change, the agreement, it is believed, will help universities in the UAE create credit-worthy micro-credentials.

Further, he commended the UAE’s initiatives to position itself as a center for startups and international enterprises and emphasized his eagerness to support the MoE’s vision of an innovative lifelong learning system.