Chhimi Dema   

Interested Bhutanese can learn illustration, design, photography, freelancing and more to help acquire skills during the pandemic online on Skillshare.

The learning platform was launched coinciding with the 113th National Day and it was funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Skillshare is an American online learning community which presents educational videos on more than 22,000 courses. It was started in 2010. Skillshare provides learners with the platform to learn by creating projects, sharing and collaborating with over eight million learners.

The classes are offered by global experts in various categories of classes available on Skillshare.

The labour ministry’s chief programme officer, Tenzin Choden, said that with the success of the Coursera program the ministry was exploring other online learning opportunities for jobseekers.

Coursera had more than 11,700 applicants and 6,843 individual joined the programme.

“The ministry’s partnership with Skillshare was initiated to support job seekers to learn skills needed for employment or self-employment,” Tenzin Choden said.

Tenzin Choden said Skillshare was relevant to those interested to set up their own businesses or those interested to grow or expand their businesses.

Online learning is an effective means of skilling during the pandemic situation, said Tenzin Choden.

The platform offers classes from February 1, 2021, till February 2022. Interested individuals can register for the programme through the labour ministry website.

Tenzin Choden said, “The employment and human resources department under the labour ministry will monitor periodically to prove learning opportunities to interested learners”.

She said that Skillshare did not provide certificates upon completion, however, it prepares the learner for certification tests outside the platform.

The platform is open for jobseekers interested to take up entrepreneurship, self-employment, freelancing or other employment opportunities.

Skillshare provides classes on topics such as creative writing, art journaling for self-care, still life photography, and fundamental of DSLR photography, personal branding and presentation skills, among others.

A total of 1,000 will benefit from the Skillshare initiative. Individuals can enrol in more than one class.