Career skills for the 2020s: navigating the online world of work
'Career Skills for the 2020s: Navigating the Online World of Work' is an online course by the University of Coventry. Designed for those, who want to make sense of the modern workplace and its changing requirements, the course aims to improve learners' digital and online skills, but also soft skills - from communication and collaboration, to problem-solving, adaptability, and resilience. These skills are then put into the context of the current job market with the aim of getting learners to become more confident online and build a professional online presence.
Why this course?
Technology is changing the way we work and communicate with one another, with an unprecedented speed. By taking this course, learners will be able to assess their strong and weak areas and identify the skills they need to advance in their current career, or embark on a completely different one. They are also introduced to the types of skills most sought by employers together with practical tips on how to build further in this direction. The course also focuses on communication skills, such as:
- Building an effective online presence and creating an engaging CV that highlights key strengths and skills;
- Creating engaging content and harnessing team-work to solve problems at work;
- Support in job search: tips and tools on how to research different organisations and their job roles online.
- Social media networks and their benefits when it comes to creating online content.
Learners will also have a chance to practice their written and oral communication skills and find tips and tools to help them improve their presentation skills and write strong motivation letters.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, learners will be able to discuss the ways in which digital technology is changing work habits and practices and pinpoint the key characteristics of the current workplace. They will be able to describe how digital communications are designed and take into account related elements, such as target audience, purposes, or impact. They will also be able to explain the differences between one form of communication to the next (e.g. professional, social, personal). Learners will also be able to:
- Collaborate and engage with others in online environments, such as posting reviews and comments on discussion forums, or 'liking' a particular piece of content;
- Assess and choose the best digital learning resources and tools to achieve their goals;
- Demonstrate their improved confidence in navigating online, such as using the internet to retrieve information and solve problems based on digital evidence.
- Describe the features of an effective presentation and use this knowledge to design and develop your own presentations.
Course details
The course takes 4 weeks to complete, with around 4 hours of study time on a weekly basis. It is entirely online and self-paced, meaning that the course can be taken whenever it suits you best. It is free to audit via the FutureLearn platform. No prerequisite knowledge is required.
