Looking for the best upskilling platforms to enhance your career?

We provide a precise ranking of top platforms of 2024, based on quality, recognition, and value. Our analysis is tailored to help you pinpoint the perfect fit for your growth goals.

What we will discover together:

• Upskilling platforms are invaluable for flexible, tailored learning, offering personalized courses across various industries to enhance career prospects and fill skill gaps.
• Investing in upskilling leads to significant rewards such as job satisfaction, wage growth, and better job opportunities, underlining the importance of skill-focused learning and development.
• Continuous learning is pivotal in today’s workforce, and platforms like Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and Disco Learning offer unique features and credentials to cater to different professional needs and learning styles.

What's Going On in The Upskilling Landscape?

Online learning platforms have become indispensable tools in the digital age for enhancing and acquiring new skills. From entry-level employees to industry leaders, these platforms provide tailored resources for everyone.

Websites like edX, FutureLearn, and Codecademy offer effective online courses for skill development, providing flexibility, accessibility, and self-paced learning.

Platforms like Dribbble enable founders using the Disco platform to upskill in crucial areas like product design, web design, digital marketing, and data skills, which aids them in managing and growing their startups.

For professionals in specific industries like technology, healthcare, and finance, there are industry-specific upskilling programs that cater to their unique skill requirements.

Organizations can utilize upskilling platforms like Disco Learning to invest in advanced social learning community suite tools, enhancing business growth and measuring the objective ROI of Learning & Development initiatives.

These comprehensive e-learning platforms provide personalized learning paths, assisting professionals in their learning journey and equipping them with the right skills for better job opportunities.

The Impact of Upskilling on Job Satisfaction and Opportunities

Upskilling can significantly influence job satisfaction and opportunities. According to a study, 71% of participants in upskilling programs reported enhanced work satisfaction, along with an average predicted raise of $8,000 per year. This highlights the direct benefits of upskilling on job satisfaction and wage growth.

Upskilling also opens up better job prospects. A significant number of individuals who recently completed upskilling started a new, better-paying, or higher-skilled job. Skills-focused hiring is increasingly preferred, with companies like IBM reducing the emphasis on traditional degrees in favor of relevant skills and certifications.

Moreover, upskilling enhances employee engagement, satisfaction, and performance, contributing significantly to the future success of a business. Investments in employee upskilling lead to increased retention as it shows commitment to career development and provides advancement opportunities.

Future-Proof Your Career: Trends in Lifelong Learning

Embracing lifelong learning is crucial for maintaining competitiveness in the rapidly evolving workforce. Future trends in lifelong learning, such as AI-enhanced eLearning, micro-credentials, and courses in emerging technologies, are set to reshape the learning landscape.

Artificial Intelligence enhances eLearning by:

• Automating skill gap analysis
• Providing personalized recommendations
• Improving accessibility in learning materials through translation, format adaptations, and the use of captions and screen readers.

Another trend to watch out for is the rise of micro-credentials which provide learners with tailored credentials geared toward specific professional fields. These trends underscore the importance of continuous learning and the need to stay abreast of new advancements in your field.

Leveraging Technology to Bridge Skill Gaps

Technology is instrumental in closing skill gaps and enriching the learning experience. AI personalizes gamified learning experiences by aligning with learners’ interests and dynamically adjusting difficulty levels to maintain engagement and motivation.

Machine learning can also enhance e-learning through real-time coaching, feedback from chatbots, and progress analytics leading to enhanced learning experiences.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in e-learning create adaptive modules that respond to user interactions for a customized learning environment. These immersive technologies can transform the learning experience, making it more engaging and effective.

Another key technology is AI-driven skill gap analysis, which employs company data to pinpoint areas for improvement and direct learners toward necessary skill enhancements. This can be particularly helpful in identifying specific skills that need to be developed to improve job performance.

At Disco, we built our own AI native tool to help educators in data analysis, content creation, and learner engagement. Although it's still in its early stage right now similar to other AI tools, we are committed to innovating and reaching the peak of our AI tool to analyze learner's skills and personalize their learning experience inside our powerful LMS.

💡 Sign up for a free Disco account to try out the Disco AI tool, and create your upskilling programs with simplicity and ease.

Key Considerations When Selecting an Upskilling Platform

The selection of an appropriate upskilling platform is a vital step on your learning journey. Here's an initial evaluation checklist you should consider:

• Look for platforms that offer an ongoing educational experience to keep your skills sharp and up-to-date.
• Choose a platform that uses AI or other innovative and modern tools such as VR and AR to ensure that you're creating courses with the best tools.
• The platform should provide compelling and interactive material that captures your interest and facilitates better retention of information.
• A clear and organized progression of courses helps ensure you can build upon what you learn logically.
• Certifications or badges from respected institutions can significantly enhance your resume and professional credibility.
• These allow for learning on the go and ensure you can continue your education without constant internet connectivity.
• Platforms with peer learning features foster a collaborative environment for knowledge-sharing and problem-solving.
• A platform that grows with your organizational and skills needs supports long-term success by being flexible and adaptable to both current and future upskilling requirements.

The Pros and Cons of Popular Upskilling Tools

Upskilling platforms offer personal and professional development opportunities, but their pros and cons should be carefully evaluated for informed decision-making. Here's a quick rundown of the general strengths and weaknesses:

For instance, Disco Learning is an all-in-one AI-powered upskilling platform for elearning businesses. Disco helps course creators create and sell their online courses 10x faster without transaction fees, however, Disco isn't a marketplace like Udemy, Coursera, or LinkedIn Learning where students can choose courses publicly.

Coursera’s partnerships with top universities and its focus on professional and academic credentialing are major advantages. However, the higher cost of some courses and the potential for offerings to be more academic than practical can be a downside.

Udemy offers a vast variety of on-demand courses, including a free course option, allowing learners to learn at their own pace, but the varied quality of courses and lack of official course completion accreditation may deter some learners.

Lastly, LinkedIn Learning offers personalized learning experiences with courses designed by industry experts, but its integration with the LinkedIn platform might not be beneficial for those looking for learning opportunities outside of professional development.

Best Upskilling Platforms and Marketplaces to Upskill and Create Courses

Selecting the right upskilling platform is a critical factor in the journey towards professional progress.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your existing skills, learn new ones, or create your courses, platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning are great course marketplaces. On the other hand, Disco Learning is the best platform to create and sell your online courses.

#1. Disco Learning: The Best Upskilling Platform to Create and Sell Community-led Courses, Trusted by The Top Virtual Academies

Disco Learning stands out as the best upskilling platform for educators, experts, and entrepreneurs looking to create and sell their own online courses.

As the #1 platform for cohort-based learning, it is widely used by organizations for a range of purposes, including up-skilling, customer and partner enablement, cohort training, and accelerator programs. Disco's AI-powered platform not only simplifies the course creation process but also makes learning together super engaging and operationally seamless.

Backed by GSV, a leading edtech investor, and recognized for its innovation with accolades such as Fast Company's Most Innovative Edtech of the Year and Edtech Breakthrough's Startup of the Year, Disco Learning is trusted by prestigious clients like the Toronto Board of Trade, Kaplan, Coursehero, MonitorDeloitte, XPrize, and Baptist Health.

This suite of robust features and industry recognition underscores Disco's commitment to fostering a strong community of learners and empowering educators to build their educational business with confidence.

Disco develops a powerful AI native tool inside the Disco LMS.

In the vast sea of Learning Management Systems (LMS), Disco has distinguished itself by developing an AI native tool within its social learning platform. This innovative feature propels educators into the future, offering an intuitive Disco AI chat that assists with generating lesson plans, curriculum outlines, images and graphics, and activity prompts. It also provides real-time support for responding to member inquiries.

This AI integration is a testament to Disco's commitment to efficiency and cutting-edge technology. With a simple click, educators can leverage the power of AI to streamline their workflow, transforming seconds into solutions and elevating the educational experience.

📺 Here's how you can create your first learning program with Disco AI:

Disco gives you the ability to combine learning and community perfectly in one platform, unifying your data in one place.

Disco shines in its ability to weave social learning with community engagement seamlessly. The upskilling platform recognizes that learning in isolation is far from inspiring and lacks the profound impact that comes from peer interaction and collaboration. Disco excels with its suite of community-building, management, and engagement tools, all housed within one cohesive platform.

The platform's advanced member management system not only facilitates the automatic grouping of members but also allows for the creation of rich profiles and a comprehensive directory. Discussion boards and social feeds are just some of the avenues through which learners can share insights and engage in meaningful dialogue, fostering a thriving learning community.

📺 Here's a short tutorial to navigate our new navigation successfully:

Moreover, Disco's robust integration and automation capabilities extend to popular social tools, making it an all-encompassing solution for nurturing a transformative educational environment.

Disco makes learning accessible and measurable with a mobile app and engagement scoring tool.

Disco has taken accessibility in social learning to new heights with its mobile application and engagement scoring system. The Disco learning app ensures that learners have the flexibility to engage with educational content and community discussions on the go, across both iOS and Android platforms.

The platform's engagement scoring system offers educators a window into each learner's involvement, tracking a range of activities from lesson completion to event attendance. By utilizing the leaderboard, educators can recognize and encourage active participation, creating a dynamic and interactive learning journey.

📺 Watch this 2-min tutorial to set up your engagement scores:

Disco allows you to own a platform with its highly customizable dashboard and powerful CMS functionality.

Disco sets itself apart in the LMS domain with its unparalleled customization options. Top virtual academies are drawn to the platform's ability to tailor the learning experience to their brand, offering:

• Branded labels and design elements
• Customizable home blocks, spaces, and courses
• Personalized onboarding experiences and user profile fields
• Unique discount codes and public-facing pages

Complementing these customization options, Disco's powerful Content Management System (CMS) allows educators to effortlessly manage their community.

From creating roles and directories to grouping members for large organizations, Disco simplifies the administrative side of education, enabling educators to focus on what they do best: teaching.

As Gigantic, one of our users told us, "We have been extremely impressed with the ability to customize the look and feel of the Disco platform to our brand." this makes us confident in our custom features.

Sign up for a free Disco account for 14 days, and start creating your upskilling programs 10x better, faster, and easier. Don't miss this chance!

#2. Embrace Continuous Learning with Coursera

Coursera distinguishes itself as a premier platform for continuous learning. With its large catalog of over 3,800 courses, 385 specializations, 17 MasterTrack certificates, and 20 degrees, Coursera provides learners with a wide variety of options that cater to different learning needs.

Whether you’re looking to gain new business skills, explore the world of data science, or delve into the realm of computer science, Coursera has got you covered giving you a competitive edge in the job market.

One of the key aspects of Coursera is its flexibility. It offers:

• The convenience of studying from anywhere at any time
• Course materials accessible offline through the Coursera app
• Collaboration with prestigious institutions, including Duke University and Johns Hopkins, adds credibility to the certificates and degrees offered and enhances the value of learners’ professional profiles

#3. Master New Skill Sets on Udemy

Udemy is the ideal platform for individuals seeking to master new skill sets. With over 210,000 courses available, Udemy offers learners the opportunity to find courses that align with their specific interests or career goals in technology, business, personal development, and arts.

One of the standout features of Udemy is its lifetime access to course materials, which enables learners to revisit content and reinforce learning through repetition.

Whether you’re aiming to brush up on your digital marketing skills or dive into the creative arts, Udemy offers a plethora of courses, including a comprehensive digital marketing course, to suit your learning needs.

#4. LinkedIn Learning: Tailor-Made for Career Advancement

For those focused on career advancement, LinkedIn Learning offers a personalized experience like no other. The platform’s courses are aligned with job market insights from LinkedIn’s vast network, tailored to industries such as business, technology, and creative fields.

LinkedIn Learning creates opportunities for career advancement by providing courses designed to support professionals at any stage, from embarking on their first job to considering a career switch. Focusing on pivotal professional areas, it centers its educational content on business acumen, management strategies, and leadership development.

Success Stories of the World's Top Community-based Courses!

Eskwelabs: Eskwelabs is an online data upskilling school in the Philippines that leverages the Disco platform to create an engaging, community-driven learning environment.

By using Disco’s community engagement tools and analytics, Eskwelabs has been able to foster collaboration and peer learning among students, leading to a 90% course completion rate. Their operations have become more efficient, allowing them to scale their impact and help more learners transition into data careers.

Learn Biomimicry: Learn Biomimicry, an e-learning platform dedicated to the innovative field of biomimicry, has utilized Disco to streamline the creation and delivery of their courses.

The platform’s AI course builder and automation features have enabled Learn Biomimicry to efficiently manage course content, leading to a time-saving of up to 70% in course creation. This has allowed them to focus on expanding their offerings and growing their learner base, fostering a community passionate about sustainable design inspired by nature.

OnDeck: OnDeck is a platform that provides community-driven programs for entrepreneurs and career professionals looking to scale their businesses or accelerate their careers.

By utilizing Disco's comprehensive suite of tools, OnDeck has been able to create a dynamic and collaborative learning environment. The platform's community engagement features have empowered participants to network effectively, share insights, and build meaningful connections that extend beyond the courses.

With Disco's analytics, OnDeck has been able to track participant engagement and success, ensuring that its programs consistently deliver value and drive participant growth. The result is a vibrant ecosystem where entrepreneurs and professionals thrive, supported by the robust, scalable infrastructure that Disco provides.

Start Building Your Upskilling Programs with 0% Transaction Fees and 10x Easier with Disco! 🪩

Upskilling is not just about acquiring new skills, it’s about continuous learning, staying relevant, and future-proofing your career.

As we embrace the future, let’s remember that the journey of learning is a marathon, not a sprint. So, let’s embark on this journey with determination, flexibility, and a never-ending curiosity to learn and grow.

Begin your course creation journey with Disco's 14-day free trial and take advantage of the Disco AI tool to speed up your course creation. Got questions? Book us a demo for a personalized tour so we can answer any questions you may have.