Education and skills development are essential for the personal and professional growth of adolescents and young adults.
They enable them to acquire the knowledge competencies and values needed to thrive in a changing world.
However many young people face barriers to access quality and relevant education and skills opportunities especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Fortunately there are various resources available online that can help young people learn new skills enhance their employability and pursue their passions.
In this blog post we will introduce some of these resources organized by the following categories:
Foundational skills
These are the basic Education and Skills of literacy and numeracy that are necessary for further learning and participation in society.
Digital skills
These are the Education and Skills that allow young people to use and understand technology access and create information communicate and collaborate and solve problems in a digital world.
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Transferable skills
These are the Education and Skills that help young people adapt to different situations work with others manage their emotions and cope with challenges. They are also known as life skills 21st 21st-century skills soft skills or socio-emotional skills.
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Job-specific skills
These are the Education and Skills that are related to specific occupations or sectors and that help young people prepare for and succeed in the labor market. They are also known as technical or vocational skills.
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Foundational skills
Khan Academy is a free online platform that offers courses and exercises on various subjects such as math science history and languages.
It also provides personalized learning paths and progress tracking for learners Education and Skills of all levels.
Literacy Planet is an online literacy program that covers spelling grammar reading and writing skills for children and adolescents.
It uses gamified and interactive activities to make learning fun and engaging.
Numeracy Ninjas is a free online tool that helps students improve their mental math skills and fluency.
It consists of weekly quizzes that test students on key numeracy topics such as times tables fractions decimals and percentages.
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Digital skills
[Code.org] is a non-profit organization that aims to increase access and participation in computer science education especially for underrepresented groups.
It offers online courses tutorials and activities that teach coding and computational thinking skills to learners of all ages and backgrounds.
[Digital Skills for Africa] is a free online program that helps young people develop the digital skills they need to grow their careers or businesses.
It covers topics such as online marketing web analytics social media and e-commerce.
[Microsoft Learn] is a free online platform that provides interactive learning modules and paths on various Microsoft technologies such as Azure Power BI Office 365 and Windows.
It also offers certifications and badges that validate learners Education and Skills and achievements.
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Transferable skills
- [Life Education and Skills 360] is a free online course that helps young people develop the essential skills they need to succeed in life and work.
- It covers topics such as self-awareness communication teamwork problem-solving and resilience.
- [Mind Tools] is an online resource that offers articles videos podcasts and quizzes on various skills that can help young people improve their personal and professional effectiveness.
- Education and Skills cover topics such as leadership creativity stress management and time management.
- [Skills Builder] is a free online tool that helps young people assess and improve their essential skills such as listening speaking reading writing and numeracy.
- It provides feedback tips and resources to help learners achieve their goals.
Job-specific skills
- [Coursera] is an online platform that offers courses certificates and degrees from leading universities and organizations around the world.
- Education and Skills covers a wide range of subjects and skills such as business data science health and arts.
- [edX] is another online platform that offers courses certificates and degrees from top institutions and partners. Education and Skills cover various fields and disciplines such as engineering humanities law and education.
- [Udemy] is an online marketplace that offers courses on various topics and skills such as web development graphic design photography and music.
- Education and Skills allows anyone to create and sell their own courses and also provides discounts and coupons for learners.
Resources for Education and Skills Development
Education and skills development are essential for personal and professional growth.
They can help you acquire new knowledge improve your abilities and enhance your career prospects.
However finding the right resources for education and skills development can be challenging especially in the era of information overload.
How do you know which sources are reliable relevant and effective?
These resources cover a wide range of topics from academic subjects to soft Education and Skills and cater to different levels of learners from beginners to experts.
Whether you want to learn a new language master a software tool or develop your leadership Education and Skills you will find something useful here.
Online Courses
Online courses are a great way to learn new skills or deepen your existing ones.
They offer flexibility convenience and affordability.
You can learn at your own pace from anywhere and often for free or at a low cost.
Online courses also provide access to high-quality content instructors and peers from around the world.
There are many platforms that offer online courses but some of the most popular ones are:
- Coursera: Coursera is one of the largest and most diverse online learning platforms with over 5000 courses from top universities and organizations.
- You can find courses on almost any topic from data science to music theory and earn certificates or degrees upon completion.
- edX: edX is another leading online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT.
- It offers over 3000 courses from more than 160 institutions covering subjects such as computer science engineering humanities and business.
- You can also earn professional certificates microcredentials or degrees from edX.
- Udemy: Udemy is a marketplace for online courses where anyone can create and sell their own courses.
- It has over 150000 courses on various topics from web development to yoga and often offers discounts and promotions. You can also get lifetime access to the courses you purchase on Udemy.
- Skillshare: Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn creative skills such as photography design writing and more.
- It has over 30000 classes taught by experts and influencers and you can also share your own projects and feedback with other learners.
- You can get unlimited access to all classes with a premium membership which costs $15 per month or $99 per year.
Online Books
Online books are another valuable resource for education and skills development. They can provide in-depth and comprehensive information on a topic as well as practical examples and exercises.
Online books can also be more accessible and affordable than physical books as you can read them on any device and often for free or at a low cost.
Some of the best platforms for online books are:
- OpenStax: OpenStax is a non-profit organization that provides free high-quality and peer-reviewed textbooks for college and high school students.
- You can find textbooks on subjects such as math science social sciences and humanities and download them in various formats or view them online.
- O’Reilly: O’Reilly is a leading publisher of books and media on technology and business. It offers over 10000 titles on topics such as programming data design and innovation.
- You can access all of them with a subscription which costs $49 per month or $499 per year and also get access to live online training interactive learning and events.
- Project Gutenberg: Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works such as books poems and essays.
- It has over 60000 titles mostly in the public domain that you can download or read online for free. You can find classics fiction non-fiction and more on Project Gutenberg.
- Scribd: Scribd is a digital library where you can access millions of books audiobooks magazines and documents. You can also upload your own content and share it with others.
- You can get unlimited access to all content with a subscription which costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
Online Communities
Online communities are a great way to connect with other learners experts and mentors.
They can help you get feedback advice support and inspiration for your education and skills development.
Online communities can also help you discover new opportunities such as jobs projects or events.
Some of the best online communities for education and skills development are:
- Reddit: Reddit is a social news and discussion platform where you can find and join communities (called subreddits) on any topic. Some of the most popular subreddits for education and skills development are r/learnprogramming r/AskScience r/books and r/LifeProTips.
- Stack Overflow: You can ask and answer questions vote and earn reputation points and badges. You can also browse topics tags and users and learn from the best practices and solutions of other programmers.
- Quora: Quora is a question-and-answer site for any topic. You can ask and answer questions follow topics people and questions and read insightful and informative answers. You can also write blogs share links and join spaces (groups) on Quora.
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional networking site where you can create and maintain your profile showcase your skills and achievements and connect with other professionals. You can also join groups follow companies and influencers and apply for jobs on LinkedIn.
How can I create my own course on Udemy?
Creating your own course on Udemy is a rewarding way to share your knowledge and skills with millions of learners around the world. To create a course on Udemy you need to follow these steps:
- Choose a course topic that you are knowledgeable and passionate about and that has high demand and low competition. You can use the Marketplace Insights tool to validate or refine your course topic.
- Define your target audience and their learning goals. You need to know who you are teaching and what they want to learn from your course. You can use the Define Your Ideal Learner Audience guide to help you with this step.
- Create your learning objectives based on your audience and their goals. Learning objectives are specific statements that define what learners will be able to do after taking your course. You can use the Create Your Learning Objectives guide to help you with this step.
- Outline your course structure and content based on your learning objectives. You need to plan how you will deliver your course content in a logical and engaging way. You can use the Outline Your Course guide to help you with this step.
- Create practice activities and assessments to reinforce learning and measure progress. You need to provide opportunities for learners to apply what they learn and check their understanding. You can use the Practice activities and assessments guide to help you with this step.
- Script your course content and record your videos. You need to prepare what you will say and show in your videos and use a good microphone camera and lighting to record them.
- Upload your videos and other course materials to Udemy. You need to use the Udemy course dashboard to upload and organize your course content. You can use the [Uploading your videos to Udemy] guide to help you with this step.
- Create your course landing page to attract and enroll learners. You need to write a compelling course title subtitle description and requirements and choose a relevant category subcategory and topic.
- You also need to upload a high-quality course image and a promotional video. You can use the [Create your course landing page] guide to help you with this step.
- Submit your course for review and publish it. You need to ensure that your course meets the [Udemy quality standards] and [course policies] and submit it for review. Once your course is approved you can publish it and start earning money from it.
How much does it cost to create a course on Udemy?
Creating a course on Udemy is free.
You do not need to pay any fee to create and host a course on Udemy and you can publish as many free and paid courses as you like.
However you will need to become a premium instructor to set a price for your course and receive payouts from Udemy.
The premium instructor application process is also free and usually completed within 2 business days.
Udemy will keep a percentage of each sale depending on the transaction source.
The instructor revenue share ranges from 37% to 97% depending on whether the sale is organic through an instructor coupon or through the Udemy Deals Program.
The Udemy Deals Program is an optional program that allows Udemy to use marketing data to optimize your course’s list price and offer your courses at a discount in different markets around the world.
This can increase your course visibility and potential sales but you will have less control over your pricing.
What are the requirements for creating a course on Udemy?
To create a course on Udemy you need to meet the following requirements
- You need to be a premium instructor which is a free and easy process that usually takes 2 business days.
- You need to have at least 30 minutes of video content and at least 5 separate lectures in your course.
- You need to ensure that your course content is valuable accurate and high-quality and that it aligns with your learning objectives.
- You need to use HD video quality (720p or 1080p) and clear audio for your course videos.
- You need to create a compelling course landing page with a catchy title subtitle description requirements image and promotional video.
- You need to comply with the Udemy quality standards and course policies and submit your course for review before publishing it.
You can find more details and tips on how to create a course on Udemy from the links below
Official Udemy Course: This is a free course that covers everything you need to know to create a successful course on Udemy.
Teach Udemy: This is a website that provides guides resources and best practices for course creation publication marketing and maintenance.
Udemy Instructor Community: This is a forum where you can connect with other instructors get feedback support and inspiration for your course.
Can you tell me more about Coursera?
You can learn new skills to advance your career or pursue your interests in various fields and disciplines such as business data science health and arts.
You can also access free courses and financial aid options to make learning more affordable and accessible.
Coursera has over 124 million learners and 300+ partners and it collaborates with leading experts and instructors to deliver high-quality and engaging learning experiences.
What are some popular courses on Coursera?
Some popular courses on Coursera are
- The Science of Well-Being: This course from Yale University teaches you how to increase your happiness and productivity by applying the latest research in psychology and neuroscience
- Machine Learning: This course from Stanford University introduces you to the most widely used techniques and applications of machine learning such as linear regression neural networks and natural language processing
- Python for Everybody: This specialization from the University of Michigan teaches you the basics of programming and data analysis using Python one of the most popular and versatile languages in the world
- Google Data Analytics: This professional certificate from Google prepares you for an entry-level role as a data analyst by teaching you how to collect clean analyze and visualize data using tools like Excel SQL and R
- English for Career Development: This course from the University of Pennsylvania helps you improve your English language skills and enhance your professional communication resume and interview skills
How long does it take to complete a course on Coursera?
The duration of a course on Coursera depends on the type level and content of the course.
According to Coursera website the average time commitment for a course is 4-12 hours per week for 4-10 weeks.
However some courses may be shorter or longer depending on the pace and schedule of the learner.
For example some courses are self-paced meaning that learners can complete them at their own speed and convenience.
Other courses are instructor-led meaning that learners have to follow a fixed timeline and deadlines.
In addition to courses Coursera also offers other types of learning programs such as specializations professional certificates and degrees.
These programs are composed of multiple courses that are designed to help learners master a specific skill or topic. The duration of these programs varies depending on the number and difficulty of the courses involved.
For example a specialization usually takes 4-6 months to complete a professional certificate usually takes 2-6 months to complete and a degree usually takes 1-4 years to complete.
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What are some of the skills that adolescents need to succeed in the 21st century labor market according to UNICEF?
Foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy are essential for further learning productive employment and civic engagement.
Digital skills enable them to use and understand technology search for and manage information create and share content collaborate communicate build knowledge and solve problems safely critically and ethically.
Transferable skills that allow them to become agile learners and global citizens equipped to navigate personal social academic and economic challenges. These skills include problem-solving negotiation managing emotions empathy and communication.
Job-specific skills refer to the acquired knowledge expertise and interactions needed to perform a specific task including the mastery of required materials tools or technologies. These skills include specialized technical and cognitive skills as well as entrepreneurship skills.