Online learning platforms, such as Coursera and edX, have proven hugely popular over the past few years, with millions of students capitalizing on the high quality, bite-sized courses freely available.  It’s probably fair to say that most of the courses are geared at those with a tertiary education already, and so that is the demographic that has largely flocked to them.

There are slowly signs of change however, not least with the recent announcement from UK-based platform FutureLearn that they will be teaming up with Google to offer a MOOC in ‘effective networking’ to help give people the kind of soft skills that are increasingly regarded as key to the future of work.

The course, which will be hosted on Google Digital Garage, is part of a wider drive by Google to help 1 million Europeans find a job or grow their business by 2020.  The course marks an expansion by Google into the kind of soft skills that are so often crucial to successful careers.

Providing a taster

The initial course on Google Digital Garage is designed to provide a taster for a second free course in the Business Fundamentals program, which will be provided by the Open University on the FutureLearn platform.  This program consists of four courses: effective networking, customer engagement, project management, and effective communication.

“Soft skills are playing an increasingly important role in the ever-changing world of work and, as some roles become automated, will serve as a growing point of differentiation between humans and machines,” FutureLearn say.  “We are committed to ensuring that employees are equipped with these skills and are delighted to be partnering with forward thinking organisations such as Google and The Open University who recognise the importance of soft skills for both this generation and generations to come and are actively helping people develop those skills.”