Last year, in an effort to fill outstanding positions, Meta stopped requiring job seekers to hold a four-year university or college degree to apply for some roles. At the time, the company said it hoped the move would encourage employers to see that a post-secondary education isn’t the only way someone can learn the skills needed to make them a valuable addition to their workforce. Building on that announcement, the company has partnered with Coursera, an online learning platform, to launch five new software engineering professional certificates.
Meta says the programs are ideal for those looking to build the necessary skills to land an entry-level position in tech. Enrolling in the courses does not require past industry experience or a previous college degree. The new programs cover everything from front-end development to Android and iOS app creation, with the latter offering a crash course in JavaScript, React, Swift and UIKit. Two of the programs begin on June 30th, with the latter three slated to launch on July 31st – though you can pre-enroll for all of them starting today.
The courses come at a time when tech companies like Meta are struggling to staff up domestically. Even before the pandemic, there were nearly one million unfilled IT positions across the US. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the shortage will only get worse in the coming years. Just how much additional professional certificates will help address the problem is hard to say, but clearly Meta is trying to do what it can to solve its own talent shortage.