As the job market continues to heat up in this era of constant change, workers across all professions need to constantly develop new skills to remain competitive. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report reveals that 86% of business leaders in Malaysia expect to hire new permanent staff with skills relevant to new technologies.

While going back to classrooms may not be an ideal option for everyone, the advancement of online learning has enabled a more accessible and richer learning experience – opening pathways to success particularly for jobs that involve digital skills.

For people seeking new skills that can enhance their resume and showcase their skill proficiency to potential employers quickly, an entry level certificate is a popular go-to option. By pursuing these Professional Certificates, job seekers meet employer demand by learning skills that prepare them for specific roles, build job confidence using real-world tools, and create a portfolio that demonstrates what they have learned to prospective employers. Coursera, one of the world’s largest online learning platforms, offers over 20+ entry-level certificates in key areas including data science, IT, and business.  Each certificate is designed for learners without prior industry experience to complete in 6 to 8 months on average (3-10 hours per week), fully online.

Here are five popular entry-level professional certificates in Malaysia on Coursera:.

1. Data Analytics by Google

Data analytics is the collection, transformation, and organization of data in order to draw conclusions, make predictions, and drive informed decision making. Get professional training designed by Google and have the opportunity to connect with top employers.

Within the short 8 courses, you can gain an immersive understanding of the practices and processes, learn key analytical skills and tools, understand how to clean and organize data for analysis, and complete analysis and calculations as well as learn how to present data findings in presentations.

2. Project Management by Google

Project managers are natural problem-solvers. They set the plan and guide teammates, and manage changes, risks, and stakeholders. Learn from Google employees whose foundations in project management served as launchpads for their own careers.

This course of over 100 hours of project management education will enable you to gain an immersive understanding of the practices and skills needed for an entry-level project management role.

3. UX Design by Google

User experience (UX) designers focus on the interaction that users have with products, like websites, apps, and physical objects. They make those everyday interactions useful, enjoyable, and accessible.

After completing the 7 courses, you will have the knowledge to follow the design process, understand the basics of UX research, apply foundational UX concepts and create a professional UX portfolio.

4.Google IT Support by Google

Prepare for a career in the high-growth field of IT, no experience required. Get professional training designed by Google and get on the fast-track to a competitively paid job.

Over 5 courses, learn in-demand skills that prepare you for an entry-level job. At under 10 hours per week, you can complete the certificate in less than 6 months. In this program, you can learn to perform day-to-day IT support tasks, learn how to provide end-to-end customer support, ranging from identifying problems to troubleshooting and debugging as well as learn to use various systems including Linux, Domain Name Systems, Command-Line Interface, and Binary Code.

5. Data Analyst by IBM

Data science is one of the hottest professions of the decade, and the demand for data scientists who can analyze data and communicate results to inform data driven decisions has never been greater. It’s a myth that to become a data scientist you need a Ph.D. This Professional Certificate from IBM will help anyone interested in pursuing a career in data science or machine learning develop career-relevant skills and experience.

Within this course, you’ll learn the basics of what data science is, the various activities of a data scientist’s job, and methodology. Develop hands-on skills, as well as apply various data science skills, techniques, and tools to complete a project and publish a report.