Coursera Survey: Student and Employer Demand for Microcredentials Is High

According to a global survey from Coursera, employers and students alike see value in microcredentials that document job-relevant skills and experience. The online learning provider commissioned research firm Dynata to poll 3,600 students and employers across eight countries — Australia, India, France, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States — about the motivations, needs, and challenges of both students pursuing a degree and employers hiring them.

Globally, 89% of students in the survey agreed or strongly agreed that earning an entry-level professional certificate or microcredential will help them stand out to employers and secure jobs when they graduate. For their part, 92% of employers agreed or strongly agreed that a professional certificate strengthens a candidate's job application, and on average, employers were 76% more likely to hire a candidate who has earned an industry microcredential.

The findings are similar within the United States. Out of the 306 U.S. students surveyed, 86% agreed that earning an industry microcredential will help them stand out to employers and get a job after graduation, and 81% said microcredentials will help them succeed in their job. Among the 150 U.S. employers surveyed, 86% agreed that earning an industry microcredential strengthens a candidate's job application, and 74% said they believe microcredentials improve a candidate's ability to perform in an entry-level position.

U.S. students also expressed interest in pursuing microcredentials as part of their degree pathway. Seventy-four percent of the survey respondents said that the inclusion of relevant microcredentials would influence their choice of a degree program at their university, and 66% said having a credential count as credit toward a degree was their highest motivating factor in choosing that type of skills training.

"By linking skills-based learning to skills-based hiring, higher education institutions can fill gaps in their curricula and build a bridge between their degree programs and the demands of today's employers," noted Scott Shireman, global head of Coursera for Campus, in a company blog post, "while employers can diversify their hiring pipelines while being assured that their new hires are job-ready." 

Read more about the survey results on the Cousera blog here.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  •  floating digital interface with glowing icons, surrounded by faint geometric shapes

    Digital Education Council Defines 5 Dimensions of AI Literacy

    A recent report from the Digital Education Council, a global community devoted to "revolutionizing the world of education and work through technology and collaboration," provides an AI literacy framework to help higher education institutions equip their constituents with foundational AI competencies.

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • lock with a glowing keyhole integrated with a transparent, layered server stack against a dark background with a subtle grid pattern

    Cohesity Integration Adds Protection for Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization Workloads

    AI-powered data security company Cohesity has expanded its collaboration with Red Hat to enhance data protection and cyber resilience for Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization workloads.

  • computer screen displaying a landline phone being unplugged from a single cord, with a modern office desk, keyboard, and subtle lighting in the background

    Microsoft to Discontinue Skype Services

    Microsoft has announced that it is shutting down service for its Skype telecommunications and video calling services on May 5, 2025.