USO Partners with Coursera to Provide Online Certificates and Professional Development Opportunities to Military Community

ARLINGTON, Va., May 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past year, COVID-19 and the ensuing economic uncertainty have heightened the challenges military families face every day—especially when it comes to finding employment, both for service members transitioning to civilian life and spouses relocating during their military journey. As a result, it's more important than ever to provide the military community with the tools they need to achieve their professional goals.

As of May, the United Service Organizations (USO) is partnering with Coursera, one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, which offers online courses, certifications and degrees from leading universities and companies. The partnership will provide free resources to help service members and their spouses succeed in new careers or gain the expertise needed to achieve professional goals.

As part of the collaboration, 3,000 Coursera licenses will be distributed through the USO Pathfinder® Transition Program, which offers professional development services to military members and their spouses through employment, education, financial readiness and mentorship programs. Service members and military spouses enrolled in the USO Pathfinder Transition Program will have the opportunity to select one Professional Certificate on Coursera to enrich their professional development.

The certification options include:

1. Information Technology: Google IT Support Professional Certificate
2. Marketing: Facebook Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate
3. Sales Development: Salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional Certificate
4. Data Analytics: IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate
5. Education: Arizona State University TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Professional Certificate

"We are thrilled to partner with Coursera, as the certificate programs offered through our USO Pathfinder Transition Program will be an invaluable resource for those in the military community looking to cultivate new professional skills," said Lisa Elswick, vice president of  USO transition programs. "Together, at this pivotal moment for the nation and our military community, we can give more than thanks and empower service members and spouses—throughout their military careers and beyond." The certificate programs offered on Coursera help service members and their spouses master in-demand skills, from IT to sales development to teaching, while catering to a variety of interests. Additionally, the USO partnership with Coursera allows participants to complete courses from nearly anywhere and at their own pace, so military members and their families can continue serving their country, caring for their families and tending to other priorities while enhancing their education.

"We are proud to partner with the USO to support our Armed Forces by providing service members and their families free access to job-relevant online learning," said Leah Belsky, Coursera's chief enterprise officer. "Through this partnership, the service members — who sacrifice so much to protect us — will have the opportunity to rapidly develop new and in-demand skills to successfully transition into civilian jobs."

To learn more about the USO Pathfinder Transition Program and the Professional Certificates on Coursera, please visit USO.org/transition.

About the USO:
The USO strengthens America's military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. At hundreds of locations worldwide, we are united in our commitment to connect our service members and their families through countless acts of caring, comfort and support. The USO is a private nonprofit organization, not a government agency. Our programs, services and entertainment tours are made possible by the American people, support of our corporate partners and the dedication of our volunteers and staff. To join us in this important mission and learn more about the USO, please visit USO.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Coursera:
Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 82 million registered learners as of March 31, 2021. Coursera partners with over 200 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including Guided Projects, courses, specializations, certificates and bachelor's and master's degrees. More than 6,000 institutions have used Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens and students, including in high-demand fields such as data science, technology and business. Coursera became a B Corp in February 2021.

Media Contact:
Dan Drummond
[email protected]
202-243-8621

SOURCE USO

Related Links

http://www.uso.org