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MOOCs: Massive Open Online Course Offers Free IT and Business Skills for Users Globally
PR Newswire | StudentAdvisor.com
For
the many people around the world who are miles away from
the expertise and resources they need to start or upgrade a small
business, an
online training program (or MOOC) is the very latest in practical IT
and
business
skills. The HP
LIFE e-Learning program,
developed by EDC and HP together with a team of partners, includes free, interactive MOOCs to help
budding entrepreneurs create, establish and grow successful businesses.
The
program is being widely disseminated in time for Global
Entrepreneurship Week,
November 12–16.
"The HP LIFE e-Learning program is an
innovative and
interactive program that helps entrepreneurs solve business challenges
with
technology solutions," said EDC's Rebecca
Stoeckle. "Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs,
such as this one are changing expectations and opportunities
for the more than 75 million unemployed youth around the world. With HP
LIFE, high-quality training in business
skills is
now available globally and for free."
This program's flexible, modular
curriculum includes short
units covering four main topics: finance, marketing, operations, and
communication. Using self-paced, interactive modules, practical
business
advice, and discussion boards, HP LIFE e-Learning courses introduce
relevant
business and IT skills, such as using a spreadsheet to track expenses
or social
media to market a business. The program includes dramatic narratives of
the
real-life challenges faced by nascent entrepreneurs in a variety of
settings
around the world.
Designed for entrepreneurs at any
business stage or skill
level, the HP LIFE e-Learning program enables
learners to receive feedback and advice from members of the
HP LIFE
community. The course remains dynamic, engaging, and responsive to the
emerging
concerns of entrepreneurs thanks to new modules that are rolled out
every
month, peer-to-peer learning, and user-contributed content.
Since the HP LIFE program launched in
2007, over 1.2 million
entrepreneurs have been reached with training, access to IT, and online
activities, which has resulted in over 43,000 new jobs created or
maintained
and nearly 20,000 new businesses. The program has 340 training centers
in 49
countries.
"HP has a strong history of
commitment to education,
and we are excited to assist and encourage new entrepreneurs all over
the world
with our latest cloud-based technology solution," said HP's Jeannette
Weisschuh, Director Global Education Strategy, HP Sustainability
& Social
Innovation. "EDC is a preferred partner in this venture because of
their
global network and experience using innovative technology to develop
powerful
learning and teaching programs."
The HP LIFE program has
been included
as a best practice in
the Obama administration's Startup
America Initiative, which was launched in 2011 to accelerate
the growth of
fledgling, job-creating companies. To learn more, visit HP
LIFE
e-Learning.
Education Development Center,
Inc.
(EDC), is a global
nonprofit organization that addresses some of the world's most urgent
challenges in education, health, and economic development. EDC manages
more
than 250 projects in 23 countries.