Guyana has been awarded Coursera’s Regional Talent Transformation Award for Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting the country’s leadership in digital skills development and workforce training. The award was presented on Monday at the launch of the Public Service Upskilling Programme at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. The initiative is led by the Ministry of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation.
Coursera’s Vice President, Zac Rule, said he is honoured to be part of “digital Guyana” and expressed enthusiasm about continuing the organisation’s long-term collaboration with the country.
This honour reflects Guyana’s strong commitment to expanding access to online education and professional development. The partnership between Guyana and Coursera began during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Workforce Recovery Initiative, created with support from the Commonwealth of Learning. By the end of that programme, 36,000 Guyanese had learned new skills, nearly 200,000 courses were taken, and more than 50,000 professional certificates were earned in areas such as business, technology, and data science.
Guyana has since expanded its collaboration with Coursera. Through the Women’s Innovation and Investment Network (WIIN), more women have gained skills and moved toward financial independence. The Ministry of Health has used the platform to enhance healthcare training, while the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Public Affairs have partnered on digital literacy efforts.
These efforts led to the 2024 launch of the Guyana Coursera National Training Initiative, a presidential programme that grants every Guyanese citizen and public sector worker free access to education and skills training on Coursera.
