The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in collaboration with Coursera, has officially opened the application process for Cohort 3 of Coursera courses. Mrs. Hadiza Umar, the Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations at NITDA, made this announcement in a statement issued from Abuja. A simultaneous announcement was also made on the official Twitter account earlier today.
This training initiative aligns with NITDA’s commitment to implementing President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, specifically aiming to create one million digital jobs within the Information Technology sector. The partnership between NITDA and Coursera, initiated on October 19, 2022, is geared towards addressing the high rates of youth unemployment, which stood at 19.6% in 2021.
In her statement, Mrs. Umar provided insight into the collaboration between NITDA and Coursera for the training program. Coursera extends access to world-class educational content from renowned universities and industry leaders, including Yale, Meta, Google, and IBM, to NITDA’s selected learners. This strategic collaboration aims to enhance the technical capabilities of Nigeria’s youth and cultivate a skilled IT workforce.
The partnership will grant Nigerian learners access to Coursera’s Professional Certificates portfolio, designed to equip them with the skills necessary to pass industry certification examinations or launch a career in specific fields, such as IT support, within three months. The 32 Professional Certificates offered by Coursera are tailored to facilitate entry into high-growth careers, covering areas like Data Analytics (Google), Social Media Marketing (Meta), and Software Development (IBM).
Cohort 3 of the program is closely aligned with the 3 Million Tech Talent (3MTT) initiative of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. The curriculum includes courses such as Software Development, UI/UX Design, Data Analysis and Visualizations, Quality Assurance, Product Management, Data Science, Animation, AI/Machine Learning, Cyber Security, and Cloud Computing.
Reflecting on the success of the previous cohorts, Mrs. Umar shared that beneficiaries encompassed a diverse range of individuals, including students, government workers, entrepreneurs, and academics. The statistics from the first two cohorts demonstrated a substantial enrollment of 43,745 participants across various courses, with 16,374 courses completed. The positive feedback, with an average rating of 4.8/5.0, underscores the enthusiasm of Nigerians for digital upskilling through the Coursera platform.
Nigerian individuals interested in applying for the IT training program can submit their applications starting from January 24, 2024. The program is scheduled to commence on February 10, 2024.
