The rising cases of COVID-19 cases in 2021 in the Philippines could have prompted many Filipinos to take Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 contract tracing course in Coursera, an online learning platform, this year.

In its annual study of learner trends across the country, Coursera found that there is an ongoing need (and hope) to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. The data, based on choices from over 1.3 million registered learners, offers insight into the skills, competencies, and subject matter most desirable to Filipinos.

“It’s inspiring to see learners make strong progress on their learning goals even as challenges persisted around the world,” said Raghav Gupta, managing director – Asia Pacific, Coursera. “This year’s learner trends suggest that Filipino learners are recognizing the needs of the digital economy while simultaneously striving to gain control of their mental health.”

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The 2021 data shows that Filipino learners were particularly enthusiastic about language courses including Yonsei University’s First Step Korean and Learn to Speak Korean 1, and Saint Petersburg State University’s Japanese for beginners 1. Learners also strived to hone their business skills needed to thrive in the global economy, including professional English-language competency, and an understanding of financial markets.

Professional certificates

According to the study, Filipino Coursera learners recognized the shifting nature of work and prioritized mental health and wellbeing. They explored the human brain through courses like Learning How to Learn from Deep Teaching Solutions, Yale University’s Introduction to Psychology and The Science of Wellbeing.

This year, Coursera observed a rising uptake of courses related to Professional Certificates, which are designed to prepare learners without a college degree or technology experience for a wide range of high-demand digital jobs. The growing emphasis on these certificates will also help to reduce a skills gap that saw the Philippines rank 60th and 77th globally for Data Science and Technology proficiency, respectively, in the latest Coursera Global Skills Report. Google’s Foundations: Data, Data Everywhere, which forms part of Google’s Data Analytics Professional Certificate ranked 7th this year.

“Filipino learners are preparing themselves for success — seeking ways to build future-proof professional skills, especially across business and data science,” Gupta said. “This coming year, we look forward to working together to make online learning even more effective and equitable for learners by delivering new world-class content and tools.”

Other new trending courses illustrate that 2021 was a year of continued personal and professional growth as the world adapted to the new normal.