Canva, OpenLearning to teach digital skills
Canva will partner with OpenLearning to offer computer science training to tens of thousands of Australians.
Canva will partner with OpenLearning to address the nation’s digital skill shortage by offering computer science training to tens of thousands of Australians.
OpenLearning has announced that Canva will be an industry partner for CS101, a computer science “micro-credential” that brings together tech companies, industry experts and educators so that anyone can learn the skills needed to work in the digital economy.
According to a recent study by Accenture and the TechCouncil, Australia will need an additional 60,000 tech workers per year over the next five years. However, only 7,000 students graduated with a technology-related degree in 2019, leading to a severe skills shortage that could limit the growth of the sector.
OpenLearning says CS101 (short for computer science 101) will tackle this skills shortage by targeting young adults and working professionals from diverse backgrounds, and equipping them with essential skills and knowledge so they can “learn how to learn” and adapt to new programming languages and technologies to meet the evolving needs of society.
“We‘re excited to partner with Canva to expand access to computer science skills through CS101 and we’re grateful for their support and feedback on the program,” said Adam Brimo, founder and Group CEO, OpenLearning Limited.
“As the digital economy grows, we must ensure that it is representative of our society and that there are a range of pathways into the sector for people at every stage of their career.
“By drawing on Canva‘s experience in building world-class software and a high performing team, we will ensure that CS101 is meeting the needs of tomorrow while providing strong foundations in computational thinking and programming.”
The first course CS101: Programming and Computational Thinking, will start on October 18 and is designed to be completed in 12 weeks part-time. It covers foundational skills, including computational thinking, complex problem solving, programming, logic, algorithms, automation, microprocessors, professional practice and ethics.
OpenLearning said Canva planned to make CS101 available to selected individuals, in particular those that may be considering a career change or who have been out of work for a while.
“Canva is rapidly expanding its team by providing both graduate jobs and internship opportunities, and sees CS101 as a way for people with both traditional and non-traditional education backgrounds to move into the tech sector.”
The course content draws upon Canva’s technical expertise in running a global platform supporting more than 60 million users as well as its experience building and scaling engineering teams to ensure that CS101 equips learners with in-demand skills while enabling them to adapt to the rapidly changing world of technology.
Canva global head of talent acquisition, Amy Schultz, said the company was excited to partner with OpenLearning.
“We strongly believe that bringing together diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences is essential to building world-class teams,” Ms Schultz said. “We‘re committed to championing opportunities for those with diverse backgrounds and look forward to sharing our insights and knowledge with OpenLearning participants.”
OpenLearning founder and CTO David Collien has led the design of CS101.
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