Coursera, one of the world’s largest online education platforms, has published two new reports highlighting skills and proficiency trends in Egypt, as well as the pivotal impact of online learning on individuals.
The Global Skills Report 2023 and the Learner Outcomes Report 2023 provide valuable insight into the state of skills and education in Egypt and emphasize the importance of providing flexible and accessible educational pathways to drive positive change in society.
The findings of the Global Skills Report 2023 are based on data from 124 million learners in more than 100 countries who have used Coursera to acquire a new skill over the past year. The report assesses three of the most indispensable skills for jobs in the era of the digital economy: business skills, technology and data science. The report establishes specific classifications for countries based on the percentages of skills prevalence among their human cadres, with 76% and more representing the “leading” skills category, and 51% to 75% representing the “competitive” category. 25% to 50% for the “startups” category; and 25% or less for the “late” category.
According to the report, Egypt ranks among the top six countries for total skill proficiency in the Middle East and North Africa region. Remarkably, Egypt ranks third in technology skills in the region (49%), with learners achieving record scores in theoretical computer science (91%), operating systems (77%), and application development for mobile devices (77%).
While Egypt excels in several areas, the report also reveals the need to improve data science skills (41%), with learners achieving higher scores in mathematics (95%). In the area of business skills (44%), learners achieved standard scores in accounting (90%) and communication (81%). However, areas such as finance (17%), sales (22%) and marketing (30%) need further development.
The Global Skills Report highlights the skill set of learners in Egypt compared to other learners on the platform. The report suggested that learners in Egypt would accept human skills, including people analysis (2.73 times) and influence (2.06 times). Learners also showed great interest in skills related to artificial intelligence, such as artificial neural networks (1.34 times), deep learning (1.25 times), and applied machine learning (1.2 times).
Improving skills performance through online qualifications is also vital to keeping pace with a rapidly changing job market, as evidenced by Coursera’s latest Learner Outcomes Report, which provides insights to more than 55,000 learners in 190 countries.
The Learner Outcomes Report 2023 shows the positive impact of online learning, with 89% of learners confirming job benefits, such as acquiring new applicable skills, improving work performance, and accessing new job opportunities. Furthermore, 96% of the learners gained personal benefits, such as increased confidence and a deep sense of accomplishment.
The “Learners Outcomes Report 2023” reveals the commitment of learners in Egypt to continue their personal and professional development through distance learning, as a significant percentage of 99% expressed their intention to continue learning by enrolling in new courses and training programs on the “Coursera” platform, or obtaining a Degree in physical presence or online.
“The data and insights presented in these reports highlight the rapidly changing skills landscape and distribution of talent around the world, and underscore the positive impact that online learning is having in enabling individuals to acquire skills and seize opportunities,” said Jeff Magioncalda, CEO of Coursera. “By providing flexible, accessible and affordable learning paths, Coursera remains committed to playing a critical role in bridging the skills gaps and enabling the next generation of Egyptian talent to participate effectively in the era of the digital economy.”
Egypt ranks 61st globally in the Global Skills Report 2023, and the Coursera platform currently includes more than 2.2 million learners from Egypt. The average age of learners is 28 years, 36% of them are women, and 68% follow their learning on mobile devices. The platform witnessed a remarkable increase in the rates of registration of learners from Egypt to obtain professional certificates from the platform by 23%, coinciding with the demand of more of them for certificates that qualify them to occupy digital jobs.
