Coursera, one of the world's largest online learning platforms, revealed its annual student trends for Brazil, based on insights from over 27 million registered students. This year, Brazil is ranked 9th globally in the total number of students on Coursera, highlighting the ambition and commitment of Brazilian students to improve their skills and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving global workforce. Two main trends emerged in 2024: an unprecedented demand for GenAI learning and a growing preference for role-specific content to prepare for specific jobs.
According to the report of theOliver 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 said they would rather hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a less experienced candidate with AI skills.more experienced, highlighting how essential these skills are becoming for professionals across all sectors.
In 2024, enrollments in Coursera GenAI in Brazil quadrupled, totaling 67,000 so far — the 9th largest in the world and ahead of Spain. On average, 6 students signed up for the GenAI content every minute—a remarkable jump from one registration every three minutes in 2023. Although the basic GenAI courses have remained popular, the focus has 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.
In addition to AI, Brazilian students 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. Basic-level professional certificates, which do not require prior experience or a university degree, also saw an increase in 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 best in Brazil.
In 2024, Brazilian students took assertive steps to prepare for the future of work, prioritizing skills in GenAI and other critical areas to stay ahead. Their learning successes, emerging amidst the challenges of GenAI disruption, demonstrate their adaptability, resilience, and commitment to stand out 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 students with accessible and relevant education for work to thrive in an AI-driven world.
Preliminary insights from theCoursera Skills Report 2025, which captures trends among students who come to Coursera through government, university, or corporate learning programs, indicates that the efforts of students from Brazilian companies closely align with broader student trends. OpenAI and GenAI skills were the most sought after by Brazilian students, followed by Marketing and Email Marketing, Strategy and Media Planning, Social Media Management and Systems, Advertising and Campaign Management, and Customer Engagement and Retention, highlighting the efforts being made to build resilient and future-ready workplaces. These findings highlight the growing synergy between qualification initiatives driven by Brazilian institutions and the global workforce requirements. The next report will reveal the fastest-growing work skills for 2025, derived from insights based on the learning habits of Enterprise students on Coursera.
Ten most popular courses in Brazil in 2024:
- English for Career Developmentby the University of Pennsylvania
- Introduction to Computer Science with Pythonby the University of Sao Paulo
- AI Fundamentals do Google do Google
- Basics: Data, data, everywhere do Google
- Introduction to Systems Controlby the Technological Institute of Aeronautics
- Marketing Digital by the University of Sao Paulo
- Fundamentals of Project Management do Google
- Learning to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Specialized Subjects (in Portuguese)[Learning How to Learn] by Deep Teaching Solutions
- Cybersecurity Fundamentals do Google
- Fundamentos: dados, dados, em todos os lugares by Google
Ten most popular GenAI courses in Brazil in 2024:
- Google AI Essentials do Google
- Generative AI for everyoneand DeepLearning.AI
- Introduction to Generative AIdo Google Cloud
- Generative AI com Large Language Modelsand DeepLearning.AI
- Generative AI com Large Language Models da Amazon Web Services
- Prompt Engineering para ChatGPT da Vanderbilt University
- Generative AI: Introduction and Applicationsat IBM
- GenAI for Executives and Business Leaders: An Introductionat IBM
- Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basicsat IBM
- ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developersand DeepLearning.AI
