With analysts estimating that millions of jobs in the STEM fields are currently going unfilled in the U.S., Moderna is doing its part to strengthen the workforce and close that gap.
The drugmaker has teamed up with online educational course provider Coursera to offer a course on its core focus, the use of mRNA technology in medicine, to kick-start the learning process for anyone interested in working in that realm.
The three-part curriculum, dubbed “mRNA as Medicines,” will be available to Coursera users around the world. The trio of modules will teach students about all things mRNA: from its basic structure and makeup to its use in drug development, with an emphasis on its vast potential in vaccines and therapies to prevent and treat tough-to-target diseases.
Moderna and Coursera are offering the class for free to anyone who’s registered as a Coursera user. In doing so, the duo is “empowering learners worldwide to gain an in-depth understanding of the revolutionary and life-saving mRNA technology directly from Moderna experts,” Marni Baker-Stein, Coursera’s chief content officer, said in Wednesday’s announcement, adding, “This initiative not only supports current and aspiring medical professionals, it makes it easier and more affordable for anyone to start their learning journey in this critical field.”
Tracey Franklin, Moderna’s chief human resources officer, echoed those sentiments, saying in a statement, “At Moderna, we obsess over learning and believe when education is accessible, it can transform our lives and communities. By partnering with Coursera to offer this free course to everyone, we can help people deepen their understanding of mRNA science, how it represents a new era of medicine, and its power to positively impact human health.”
Moderna isn’t the only drugmaker to dip its toes in the educational space. Last fall, Merck KGaA joined forces with the United Nations’ Global Initiative on Ageing to roll out a series of online courses for family carers. Housed on the pharma’s “Embracing Carers” website and available in both English and Spanish, all five courses are designed to provide professional guidance around the proper use of medical equipment, healthy communication with an ailing loved one and more.
Meanwhile, Eli Lilly previously turned to Lifeology, an online education company with a goal of improving health and science literacy, to create custom sets of Lifeology’s signature digital flashcards. The initial decks were built to educate the public about clinical trials—with an ultimate aim of attracting a more diverse pool of study volunteers—and about early-stage breast cancer, with a specific focus on recruiting more Black women to clinical trials.