Coursera shared a report by the HR Ministry stating that almost 50% of the Malaysian workforce will require reskilling to prepare themselves for the era of Generative AI (genAI). This reskilling will be necessary for all levels of society but is particularly important for those with lower-skilled jobs. Additionally, a report by Access Partnership and MyDIGITAL Corporation estimates that GenAI could add up to USD 113 billion (about RM 533 billion) to Malaysia’s GDP, with education and upskilling as critical drivers. GenAI can help assist lower-skilled workers in acquiring new skills as they progress through their careers.
Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera’s CEO, met with the media in Kuala Lumpur to share their experience working with companies, universities and government bodies in Malaysia looking to empower employees to acquire next-gen skills and knowledge, including AI.
“Emerging technologies like Generative AI are transforming the way we learn, teach, and work,” Maggioncalda said. “It holds immense potential for innovation and productivity but also poses risks. To navigate these challenges and fully unleash its capabilities, leaders need access to high-quality genAI content. Our GenAI Academy aims to equip executives and employees with the skills to adopt AI safely and effectively.”
One of the companies working with Coursera to upskill its employees is Telekom Malaysia (TM).
TM is looking to grow itself as a digital company by collaborating with Coursera to equip its employees with key digital skills. The company has set an ambitious target to become a Digital Powerhouse by 2030, and to achieve this goal, it is investing in upskilling its workforce in key areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Services, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Data Centre-related skills, and 5G. The initiative aims to transform employees into digital citizens, capable of navigating the ever-changing technological landscape of the digital era.
Sarinah Abu Bakar, Chief Human Capital Officer of TM, shared that the company has been working with Coursera for more than a year to offer upskilling courses to its employees, which includes both course content and assessment for the employee. TM hopes to create and develop a new AI-powered talent marketplace platform and build a digital talent inventory for that platform with these upskilled employees in the future, she added later.
Meanwhile, Coursera said that over 20 universities, government departments and businesses are using Coursera courses here in Malaysia for upskilling or reskilling purposes. Malaysia has over 754,000 users registered on Coursera so far. Many of the courses picked up by Malaysian users revolve around AI, in particular genAI.
“Malaysia’s digital economy vision depends on its ability to develop a skilled and diversified workforce. With the surge in digital jobs and remote work, we’re excited to empower Malaysian learners and institutions with several AI innovations to bridge the rural-urban gap and build an inclusive workforce,” Maggioncalda added later.
Coursera also introduced its GenAI Academy, designed to offer a blend of foundational literacy and executive education programs from top research universities and companies at the forefront of AI, including Microsoft, Stanford Online, Vanderbilt University, DeepLearning.AI, Google Cloud, and AWS for Malaysians.
They also added over 4000 courses translated into Simplified Chinese as well as two new AI-powered tools: Coursera Coach (an interactive virtual learning assistant) and Coursera Course Builder (an AI-assisted authoring tool).
The public can check out free courses from Coursera, which can be accessed from this link.
