Coursera, one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, revealed its annual learner trends for Brazil, based on insights from over 27 million registered learners. This year, Brazil ranks 9th globally in total number of learners on Coursera, highlighting the ambition and commitment of Brazilian learners to enhance their skills and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global workforce. Two main trends emerged in 2024: unprecedented demand for GenAI learning and a growing preference for role-specific content to prepare for specific jobs.
According to the report by Oliver Wyman ‘How Generative AI is Transforming Business and Society’, 83% of Brazilians want AI training, highlighting the urgent need for employers to provide relevant professional development opportunities. This urgency is heightened by the fact that acquiring AI skills has become one of the top hiring priorities for Brazilian leaders. 71% of leaders stated they would prefer to hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills over a candidate with more experience, highlighting how essential these skills are becoming for professionals across all sectors.
In 2024, GenAI enrollments on Coursera in Brazil quadrupled, totaling 67,000 so far—the 9th highest globally and ahead of Spain. On average, 6 learners enrolled in GenAI content every minute—an impressive jump from one enrollment every three minutes in 2023. While foundational GenAI courses remained popular, the focus shifted to applying GenAI at work, signaling a mature interest in practical applications of the technology. In Brazil, 81% of workers use AI in their daily tasks.
Beyond AI, Brazilian learners sought courses such as English for Career Development, Introduction to Computer Science with Python, Google AI Essentials, and Digital Marketing, highlighting the importance of versatile skills in today’s dynamic job market. Entry-level professional certificates, which require no prior experience or university degree, also saw increased demand in 2024, including Google Cybersecurity, Google Data Analytics, Google Project Management, Google IT Support, Google Cybersecurity, and Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst, ranked among the top in Brazil.
‘In 2024, Brazilian learners took assertive steps to prepare for the future of work, prioritizing GenAI skills and other critical areas to stay ahead. Their learning successes, emerging amid the challenges of GenAI disruption, demonstrate their adaptability, resilience, and commitment to excelling in a global job market,’ said Christian Hernandez, Head of Latin America Coursera Enterprise. ‘As we look toward 2025, the global momentum for AI literacy will only intensify, and we are committed to supporting Brazilian learners with accessible, job-relevant education to thrive in an AI-driven world.’
Preliminary insights from the Coursera 2025 Skills Report, which captures learner trends among those coming to Coursera through government, university, or corporate learning programs, indicate that the efforts of Brazilian corporate learners closely align with broader learner trends. OpenAI and GenAI skills were the most sought-after by Brazilian learners, followed by Marketing and Email Marketing, Media Strategy and Planning, Network and Systems Management, Advertising and Campaign Management, and Customer Engagement and Retention, emphasizing the efforts being made to build resilient and future-ready workplaces. These findings highlight the growing synergy between upskilling initiatives driven by Brazilian institutions and global workforce requirements. The upcoming report will reveal the fastest-growing job skills for 2025, drawn from insights based on the learning habits of Enterprise learners on Coursera.
Top ten most popular courses in Brazil in 2024:
- English for Career Development by the University of Pennsylvania
- Introduction to Computer Science with Python by the University of São Paulo
- AI Fundamentals by Google
- Fundamentals: Data, Data Everywhere by Google
- Introduction to System Control by the Aeronautics Institute of Technology
- Digital Marketing by the University of São Paulo
- Project Management Fundamentals by Google
- Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects (in Portuguese) [Learning How to Learn] by Deep Teaching Solutions
- Cybersecurity Fundamentals by Google
- Fundamentals: Data, Data Everywhere by Google
Top ten most popular GenAI courses in Brazil in 2024:
- Google AI Essentials by Google
- Generative AI for Everyone by DeepLearning.AI
- Introduction to Generative AI by Google Cloud
- Generative AI with Large Language Models by DeepLearning.AI
- Generative AI with Large Language Models by Amazon Web Services
- Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT by Vanderbilt University
- Generative AI: Introduction and Applications by IBM
- GenAI for Executives and Business Leaders: An Introduction by IBM
- Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basics by IBM
- ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers by DeepLearning.AI
