UC Irvine Extension Offers Solution to Reduce Skills Gap Dilemma Faced By Today's Workforce

IRVINE, Calif., April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the skills gap between available jobs and the preparedness of today's workforce, University of California, Irvine Extension, the continuing education arm of UC Irvine, is providing practical, applicable skills training courses available on demand. Offered within Coursera, an education platform that partners with top universities and organizations worldwide, the Career Readiness Specialization offers workers relevant training needed to succeed in today's job market. Skills gap traits such as project management and leadership are in demand by today's employers, yet are lacking in many employees as identified in a recent study conducted by the Irvine Chamber of Commerce's Economic Vitality Council (EVC).

"With the city of Irvine considered as a top innovative business hub for one of California's major counties, the EVC study is a good indicator of the skills needed to thrive in this competitive job market," said Gary W. Matkin, Ph.D., dean of Continuing Education, Distance Learning and Summer Session at UC Irvine. "The development of these courses is another step UCI Extension is taking to provide relevant coursework that addresses the gap between employer demands and workforce skills."

Recently, the Irvine Chamber of Commerce's EVC conducted a skills gap analysis to identify what training and skills are needed for workers to compete in the current job market. The findings showed candidates lack practical real-life job experience and soft skills, including communication, team work, project management, problem solving and leadership traits. Furthermore, the EVC's study revealed that between 80 to 100 percent of available positions require industry-relevant technical skills in addition to at least a four-year degree.

UCI Extension's Career Readiness specialization is a series of nine short courses focusing on topics such as project management, finance, entrepreneurship, time management, negotiation, business writing, and more. The specialization concludes with a capstone project that gives participants a chance to integrate and apply the skills learned throughout the series. All courses are available to anyone, anywhere around the world, free of charge. For a small fee, a Specialization Certificate can be earned upon completion of the program. 

The Career Readiness specialization is available now. To sign up, visit www.coursera.org/uci.

About UC Irvine Extension: University of California, Irvine Extension is the continuing education arm of UC Irvine, serving adult students online, at the UC Irvine campus, and at employer sites nationally and worldwide. Since 1962, UC Irvine Extension has offered open enrollment learning opportunities to the Orange County community, providing open access to the resources of the university, through Certificate and Specialized Studies programs (http://unex.uci.edu/) and free, open educational resources (http://ocw.uci.edu/). Connect with UC Irvine Extension on the institution's social media channels. 

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 28,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. Located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities, it's Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy.

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SOURCE UC Irvine Extension

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