Wits staff members have the opportunity to enhance their skills and advance their careers, through new short courses.
The Human resources development unit (HRDU) at Wits, has partnered with international online learning platform, Coursera. This will see staff access over 3000 courses from prominent institutions all over the world.
Coursera offers professional business training across a broad range of topics, including courses like excel skills for business, and strategic management courses, pegged at different levels from beginner to expert.
The collaboration is inspired by the need to adapt to the new normal brought on by the covid-19 pandemic, as the need and demand to offer flexible self-paced learning grew in the last year. In line with the covid-19 regulations the HRDU will be making use of a hybrid approach towards staff training.
Coursera, in partnership with Wits, will specifically focus on staff development through their online catalogue and staff training will be offered by HRDU. Training courses will be delivered by a facilitator either online using Microsoft teams, or in person, while adhering to covid-19 regulations.
The HRDU secured 20 laptops during 2020, which will be used to offer staff members additional support should they require it. A venue is also available for study purposes at the Professional development hub (PDH). The PDH will provide staff members with a controlled learning environment on campus and access to the campus Wi-Fi. Coursera also allows downloads for offline usage.
The head of HRDU, Dr Chantelle Murray told Wits Vuvuzela, “We are currently busy with a roadshow in which we are engaging with managers and teams to spread awareness, answer questions, and discuss operational needs and ideas for the Coursera roll-out.”
Murray added, “We will work with managers and staff to identify workable hours and rotational schedules that allow staff members the opportunity to tap into the Coursera experience.”
Staff members are eligible to one free course, but once the course is completed staff members can opt to enrol in another course through the HRDU and Coursera free of charge.
Staff members can visit the HRDU homepage for more information.
FEATURED IMAGE: Wits x Coursera infographic. Photo: Sinenhlanhla Sibisi.
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