May marks a month of celebration for the National Transformation Initiative (NTI) as they commemorate their one-year partnership with Coursera, the world’s leading online learning platform.
The partnership, launched on May 1st, 2021, has facilitated the free online training and certification for Barbadians and is part of the NTI’s aim to upskill and transform every Barbadian.
From May 6th, the NTI welcomes a Coursera delegation to the island’s shores for the first time. They will meet with several stakeholders over seven days, including some members of Cabinet, Ministry technocrats and leaders of educational institutions. During their visit, the NTI and Coursera will extend their support and learning opportunities to Barbadians with several exciting events.
The NTI and Coursera will participate in the first of these on Monday at 2:00 p.m. in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, while an Open Online Forum with Coursera representatives is planned for Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
At that time, enrolled learners and potential learners will also have the opportunity to interact with the NTI-Coursera team. Barbadians will hear all about free NTI-Coursera online programmes, and have the chance to ask questions about online learning, courses, and the NTI-Coursera platform. The forum will be open to all registered NTI Coursera eLearners and will be promoted on NTI’s social media pages @ntistarrbajan.
The highlight of the week takes place on Thursday, May 12 from 4:00 p.m. As the NTI ushers in the second year of partnership with Coursera, they will announce the expansion of their online course offerings with a Phase 2 Media Launch, which will reveal a new selection of courses to excite and engage a broader segment of the Barbadian workforce.
An NTI roadshow immediately follows this media launch at the Valley Resource Centre in St. George North, where constituents will participate in an interactive session with the NTI team. This roadshow will be the eighth in a series, facilitated to engage members from every constituency by learning about their interests and helping them find the most relevant courses.