SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Udemy, a leading online skills marketplace and learning platform, today announced a new self-serve toolkit, which seeks to help thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) accelerate skills acquisition by equipping them with a curated set of course recommendations to thrive in today’s digital age. The “Udemy Business Course Collection for Small & Growing Businesses” includes a tailored set of course recommendations across 15 in-demand topics such as productivity, innovation, leadership, and crucial fields such as finance, sales, customer service, and cybersecurity.
Many SMBs struggle to attract and retain talent due to resource constraints, with 86% of small business owners who are hiring reporting few or no qualified applicants. In today's challenging economy, technical and professional skills are mission-critical for SMBs. Based on course consumption data, such as The Top 10 Surging Tech Skills for Growing Businesses list, Udemy is offering this toolkit with recommendations on English-language courses to help growing businesses learn practical and emerging skills.
“Investing in skills development is not just about enhancing SMB productivity by enabling professionals to acquire relevant skills; it's about fostering a company culture of continuous learning and growth from the onset,” said Greg Brown, President and CEO at Udemy. “We are committed to serving our SMB customers with self-guided learning resources tailored to meet their unique needs, ensuring they stay innovative in today's competitive market.”
Businesses with up to 1,000 employees that were recently surveyed by Udemy are already implementing skills-based practices, such as using skills assessments for hiring and promotions, providing access to external skill-building resources, implementing cross-functional skills-sharing initiatives, incorporating skills-based competencies into performance evaluations, and facilitating skills-based mentorship programs. The survey responses also highlight the top outcomes SMBs observed from adopting these practices, such as:
- Continuous learning and skills development opportunities (42%)
- Increased job satisfaction and employee engagement (31%)
- Increase in overall company productivity (29%)
- Enhanced opportunities for career advancement based on merit (29%)
“Curated content on the Udemy Business platform has been a game-changer for us, enabling a team of over 50 members to develop and grow their capabilities as data professionals over the past 2 years, which is strategic to our business,” said Ryan Jamieson, Chief Technology Officer at Calybre, a UK-based data consultancy firm and Udemy Business customer. “As a growing business, staying competitive means building a culture where employees are continuously upskilling on the latest knowledge and skills. This has not only boosted overall efficiency but empowered our employees to take ownership of their professional growth.”
To further support SMBs, Udemy is hosting a webinar on September 4, titled "Live Training: 4 Must-Have Skills for Your Growing Business," with instructors Irlon Terblanche, CEO at SioTech and management/technology consultant, and Andrii Piatakha, CEO at IT-Bulls and IT consultancy expert. This interactive event will feature power sessions on crucial skills such as communication, generative AI, leadership, and project management, surfacing actionable insights that businesses can implement immediately. Webinar attendees will also get complimentary access to a course on the Udemy platform introducing appropriate AI tools that can automate workplace tasks and optimize productivity.
Udemy has also upgraded its Team Plan offering to provide small teams and businesses with 2-20 professionals access to its International Collections. New learners in 25 multilingual markets can now leverage more than 27,000 courses in 15 languages, including preparation for more than 200 certification exams, practice tests, and cutting-edge AI-powered coding exercises, transforming how organizations approach professional development. Team Plan also provides goal-focused recommendations, detailed analytics, and adoption reports, ensuring that teams can track their progress and optimize their learning experience.
Recently crossing one billion course enrollments on its platform, Udemy is empowering businesses worldwide with opportunities to upskill and transform lives. To access SMB-oriented resources and sign up for Team Plan, click here.
About Udemy
Udemy transforms lives through learning by ensuring everyone has access to the latest and most relevant skills. Through the Udemy Intelligent Skills Platform and a global community of diverse and knowledgeable instructors, millions of learners gain expertise in a wide range of technical and professional skills — from generative AI to leadership. The Udemy marketplace provides learners with thousands of up-to-date courses in dozens of languages, offering a variety of solutions to achieve their goals. Udemy Business empowers enterprises to offer on-demand learning for all employees, immersive learning for tech teams through Udemy Business Pro, and cohort learning for leaders through Udemy Business Leadership Academy. Udemy Business customers include FenderⓇ, Glassdoor, On24, The World Bank and Volkswagen. Udemy is headquartered in San Francisco with hubs in Austin and Denver, USA; Ankara and Istanbul, Türkiye; Dublin, Ireland; Melbourne, Australia; and Chennai, Gurugram and Mumbai, India.
