HEC, Coursera launch 3rd phase of digital learning, skills enrichment initiative

Islamabad : Higher Education Commission (HEC), in collaboration with Coursera launched on Friday launched the Digital Learning and Skills Enrichment Initiative (DLSEI) 3.0, under which 100,000 students and faculty across universities in Pakistan will be provided access to digital learning opportunities.

In the third phase of DLSEI, HEC will sponsor skill development opportunities for Pakistan’s youth by offering free access to over 12,000 online courses and numerous guided projects on Coursera.

Registration is open for university students and faculty members of all public and private sector higher education institutions through https://eservices.hec.gov.pk. HEC launched DLSEI in 2018 in partnership with Coursera and the previous two phases of the programme up-skilled over 45,000 young people through deep-skills specialised certifications from internationally recognised institutions, in addition to completion of more than 267,000 courses and above 200 universities gaining access to Coursera library.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Chairman HEC Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed shed light on the significance of HEC-Coursera partnership and underlined that the objective of bilateral partnership is to ensure maximum utilisation of the opportunity to provide Pakistani youth with online certifications and courses for skill development. Highlighting the background of DLSEI, he hoped that the partnership will further strengthen by following a building-blocks-mechanism to gradually build upon their achievements. He urged the universities, faculty and students to adopt the Coursera courses and take full advantage of the opportunity.

Speaking on the occasion, Director of International Governments at Coursera Matt Klein said Coursera is honoured to partner with HEC to equip the next generation of talent in Pakistan with the skills and credentials needed to unlock their full earning potential in the digital economy. He said it is gratifying to see that HEC, Pakistan is responding to the pressing trends by improving access to job-relevant education and skilling to deliver better outcomes for the country’s youth.