Micro-internships on the Margins

Mooqita creates, delivers, and proctors a massively open online course (MOOC) in conjunction with a regional homeless shelter and local industry for people currently experiencing homelessness. It is estimated that 25% of the homeless are working or have worked within the past quarter. Additionally, around 30% of homeless in the metro area have previously served in the armed forces. Some number of the homeless are employed or employable: still, these numbers are an indicator that the local homeless population is suffering from a basic mismatch of skills and the local labor market. Mooqita provides an ideal match because local companies face a shortage of workers, while potential employees struggle with a variety of challenges that may interfere with gaining the appropriate training and experience required by those employers. By designing the program specifically to target this population, we meet their needs for training and valuable job skills in a uniquely challenging situation. The self-paced course will concentrate on three locally in-demand technology skills. The value of this approach to learners is three-fold. Learners will learn by doing with practical, near-to-real world challenges. They will graduate from the MOOC with in-demand skillsets. Finally, tying learning outcomes to small payments incentivizes course completion while gaining financial stability. Local industry will also benefit from a stronger workforce pipeline trained to their specific needs.