| By Angela Doolin, Gale Product Manager |
As the need to learn new technologies grows, companies are realizing the urgency to bridge skill gaps in the workforce. According to a 2018 global survey conducted by PwC, 38 percent of CEOs are extremely concerned that the lack of key skills will be a threat to business growth.1 Working adults also grasp the need to grow their skills to stay relevant on the job. A 2016 Pew Research study reports that 63 percent of employed adults have sought additional training or taken an upskilling course to enhance their career performance.2
While supporting continuous learning is nothing new to libraries, ensuring that the content is relevant and always up to date in an ever-changing market is no small task. That’s one of the many reasons we’ve partnered with Udemy, a leading destination for online courses. Coming winter 2020, Gale Presents: Udemy will launch! The dynamic content platform utilizes the best data-driven curation process to deliver over 3,500 high-quality, on-demand video courses across more than 75 different categories. With courses powered by Udemy for Business, the content is continuously monitored for course quality and relevance based on factors such as marketplace demand, user reviews, and instructor responsiveness, to name a few.
Check out this video for a sneak peek of Gale Presents: Udemy.
So why are we heading in this direction? First and foremost, it was driven by you, our library partners. Every public library’s mission statement supports lifelong learning in some way—it’s just that important! And Gale’s mission in the public library space is to support you. As the needs of your community evolve, we want to continue to develop resources for patrons that enhance research, provide learning solutions, support business success, and enable libraries to create more focused programming. Gale Presents: Udemy does that by offering upskilling in the areas of business, tech, design, and more. To keep the content fresh, courses are updated or replaced monthly with new material addressing emerging topics. In fact, 85 percent of the collection has been refreshed in the last two years, ensuring learners are developing skills in the most relevant, in-demand areas.
Of course, the world-class instructors this resource offers are a key component as well. They range from renowned subject matter experts and thought leaders to real-life practitioners with a passion for sharing their knowledge and teaching what they know best. Plus, learning isn’t limited to a specific class time. Your patrons can learn when and where they want. With an app for iOS and Android, users can download courses to view off-line, listen to courses with podcast-style audio, and watch courses using Chromecast or Apple TV.
Better yet, Gale Presents: Udemy is built around learner engagement. Users can select the instructor and content that best addresses their skills need and learning preferences, and filter search results by course features, level, duration, topic, and ratings. Smart recommendations based on the learner’s previous in-app activities offer a personalized learning experience with suggested courses aligned to their interests.
Your library can move forward by providing the most relevant and engaging content, keeping your patrons ahead of the curve. To learn more, visit gale.com/trialudemy. And stay tuned for more info on the product launch in early 2020.
1. PwC, “Your Workforce Needs Reskilling,” January 2018.
2. John B. Horrigan, “Lifelong Learning and Technology,” Pew Research Center, March 22, 2016.