Coursera, Inc. (NYSE: COUR), a leading online learning platform, in collaboration with the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom), have announced that ten Professional Certificates from Google and IBM have achieved National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) alignment exclusively on Coursera.
The NSQF-aligned certificates from Google and IBM available on Coursera include:
| S.No | Professional Certificate | NSQF Level assigned* |
| 1 | Google Data Analytics | 4.5 |
| 2 | Google Project Management | 5 |
| 3 | Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce | 4.5 |
| 4 | Google UX Design | 4.5 |
| 5 | IBM Data Engineering | 5 |
| 6 | IBM Data Science | 5 |
| 7 | IBM Cybersecurity Analyst | 5 |
| 8 | IBM DevOps and Software Engineering | 5 |
| 9 | IBM Data Analyst | 4.5 |
| 10 | IBM Full Stack Software Developer | 5 |
This initiative enables a system for universities and employers to provide credit recognition to industry content, creating more pathways for learners to pursue skills-based career opportunities in the country. Under the National Education Policy, the National Credit Framework (NCrF) allows students to earn credits for all forms of learning, making it easier to switch between academic studies and skill-based learning.
Aligning Google and IBM Professional Certificates with NSQF further promotes a shift from traditional education to competency-based learning. Now, higher education institutions, and students can transfer credits for eligible Professional Certificates on Coursera, fostering job-ready, digitally skilled graduates. Coursera’s Learner Outcome Report 2023 highlights the impact of these programs, with 21% of Indian learners securing new jobs and 32% seeing salary increases after completing entry-level Professional Certificates.
” When giants like Google, IBM and Coursera come on board, it’s a powerful signal how good policy leads to powerful outcomes. Learners will have access to industry relevant courses in cutting edge technologies and make their credits count towards their degrees. As SSC nasscom, we are committed to building a strong ecosystem and empowering all the industry and training partners that take the time to understand how powerful this construct and weave it into their skilling strategies – benefiting the learner, the potential employer and of course, making business sense.” said Kirti Seth, CEO, IT-ITeS Sector Skill Council nasscom.
“The NSQF alignment of these Professional Certificates from Google and IBM supports India’s education reform, facilitating credit transfer across academic and skill-based learning, while increasing student mobility and employability,” said Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, India and APAC, Coursera.
“Google’s skilling programs on Coursera are an extension of that ethos, where anyone who wishes to engage with tech not just as a user but as a practitioner – be it UX, digital marketing or any other domain – can do so without being constrained by prior education or experience. More power to Coursera in making these opportunities widely available,” Shekar Khosla, VP – Marketing, Google India.
