KUALA LUMPUR: The Digital Ministry, through its monitoring agency MyDIGITAL Corp, is funding access to digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills development for Malaysians through the Rakyat Digital portal, with Coursera as the learning platform provider.
Rakyat Digital is a national digital learning platform that provides Malaysians with free modules on digital literacy and AI awareness.
The initiative, announced by MyDIGITAL and Coursera yesterday at St Regis Kuala Lumpur, gives Malaysians access to more than 16,000 courses and professional certificate programmes offered by leading universities and industry experts worldwide.
Through the government-funded Global Learning Pass, which is open to all Malaysians with a MyDigital ID, learners can pursue courses spanning digital technologies, AI and other in-demand skills.
The initiative forms part of the Rakyat Digital ecosystem supporting the Malaysia Digital 2030 Action Plan (MD2030) and National AI Action Plan 2026 to 2030, according to MyDIGITAL.
Through Rakyat Digital’s awareness, access and adoption approach, MyDIGITAL aims to build a national digital learning ecosystem that helps Malaysians progress from understanding digital technologies and AI to applying them in their studies, careers and businesses.
Early results showed strong engagement, with 12,900 learners enrolling in 43,000 courses during the first three weeks, particularly in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang and Perak.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 estimated that 41% of core skills in Malaysia are expected to change by 2030.
Digital Ministry secretary-general Datuk Fabian Bigar said the initiative would help make AI and digital learning more accessible across society.
“Expanding access to globally recognised courses and professional credentials through Coursera reinforces our commitment to building a future-ready workforce.
“Our primary objective is to empower Malaysians with relevant skills so they can participate confidently and equitably in the digital economy,” he said.
However, Coursera global head of enterprise Anthony Salcito said simply putting AI tools in the hands of workers would not be enough to unlock productivity gains, with businesses needing to step up reskilling efforts and rethink workflows to fully harness the technology.
“The difference with AI is that the skills gap is much larger because every role is impacted,” he said.
Salcito said Malaysia’s workforce must adapt faster to AI, with businesses having captured only 20% of an estimated RM130bil in Malaysia’s productivity potential.
He added that about 70% of successful AI and technology adoption depends on investment in people and processes.
“What we see is that organisations that gain the fastest have everyone in the company participating at different levels.
“Those at the C-suite level need to skill up and understand how to think differently about what the organisation could be with this technology foundation.
“That is what is really driving change,” he told reporters.
Salcito said most of the benefits companies had seen from AI so far were cost reductions, rather than productivity gains.
“That is true with many technologies, as automation lowers costs first, and the productivity gains happen later.
“So, this is where we see the opportunity gap for AI.
“As companies start harnessing the value of AI, addressing the skills gap will be critical.
“We will see new roles and capabilities emerge as AI creates a new foundation for organisations,” he said.
