Skill Development Through MOOC for Inclusive and Sustainable Development: A Review of Policies in the Asian Commonwealth Countries

Abstract

Economic growth of the Commonwealth countries in Asia depends on productivity and the availability of the skilled human resources. About 70 per cent of the Commonwealth’s two billion citizens belong to South Asia. Skilled human resources are crucial factor for inclusive growth and achieving sustainable development goals. Hence, Skill development policies and practices of these nations occupy a dominant place in sustainable development discussion. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) can play crucial role for enhancing skills of existing workforce and help build the capacity of the young people to be prepared with appropriate skills for the job market. For inclusive growth and sustainable development, Asian Commonwealth countries need to respond to the challenges of knowledge economies. Based on secondary sources of information this paper (a) analyses skills challenge faced by Commonwealth countries in Asia; (b) reviews existing policies for skills development and use of MOOCs for strengthening skills, and (c) discusses strategic approaches to skills development through MOOC for skills development. Analysing the published literature, it presents an overview of public policy on skills development and use of MOOCs for skills development in Asian Commonwealth countries. // Paper ID 162