Bertelsmann Employee Scholarship Program

We recently hosted an info session for interested employees. You can find the recording here: https://youtu.be/6qYpMpqGmto.

Over a three-year period, Bertelsmann is once again investing significantly in funding tech scholarships to build some of the most in-demand tech skills of our time. In 2024, we are offering the third and for the time being last round of the porgam. The initiative is once again divided into two parallel programs:

• The internal “Bertelsmann Employee Scholarship Program” only for Bertelsmann employees
• The external “Next Generation Tech Booster” for all external participants worldwide

We are separating our employee cohort from external participants in order to offer Bertelsmann participants more targeted support, more content options to choose from, align learning content with business goals and to make it easier than ever for employees to take part and earn a qualification.This means that our internal scholarship landscape is more diversified –employees get to choose between 3 different content providers according to their learning or content preferences:

• Udacity
• Coursera
• Harvard Online

We encourage all learners to involve their manager and/or HR in their choice of content in order to make their upskilling commitment visible and explore suitable development steps to accompany their learning journey. Once accepted into the program, employees can start working towards their certificate without any further funneling process besides the activation deadlines.

Each year, we are offering the following seats to interested employees: 

• Udacity: 400
• Coursera: 600
• HBS: 100

• Udacity: 4-6 hours/ week
• Coursera: 2-4 hours/ week
• HBS: 5 hours/ week

The program language for courses with all providers is English. English subtitles are available and some Coursera courses are also available in additional languages.

Applications open on October 1, 2024 and close on November 30, 2024. 

The application must be submitted proactively on this Landing Page. Interested employees can go to the top of this page and directly choose the preferred provider. Application can be submitted between October 1 – November 30, 2024.

All Bertelsmann employees, who want to expand their Tech & Data skills and are at least 18 years old. All necessary prerequisites for each Udacity Nanodegree are explained in the Nanodegree Syllabus or in thie Udacity FAQ section below.

First, learners must choose the learning provider they would like to apply for. Each application form is structured into different parts:

1. Background information (personal data) → Learners should be be prepared to enter their peoplenet ID
2. Motivational questions
3. Short technical-assessment (only for Udacity Nanodegrees with prerequisites)

• The main criterion is the answer to the motivational questions
• Prerequisite knowledge (Technical Assessment Score) for certain Nanodegrees
• Besides that, seats will be divided among divisions and according to diversity criteria

Each employee can only take up one seat at a time. So, learners may choose the learning provider (and Nanodegree) that best suits them.

Yes. Participants can apply again for the same or another provider.

We will upload learner participation to peoplenet. HR departments view their scholarship participants through peoplenet. The peoplenet ID is only relevant during the application phase and does not have to be re-entered, later.

A completed Coursera online course or Nanodegree will also be uploaded on peoplenet and can be found in the respective peoplenet learning history.

The peoplenet ID can be found on peoplenet under “My Employee Files”. If the peoplenet ID is already required for logging in (no identity management), students should contact their local HR department. 

Learners can apply for three different learning provider: Udacity, Coursera or Harvard Online

Udacity: Learners have to choose one out of 5 Nanodegrees.

Coursera: Learners get access to the learning catalog and if they prefer a little more guidance, they can choose one of the pre-curated learning paths for mission critical tech & data roles.

Harvard Online: Learners get acces to the 4-week Data Science Principles program. 

Find more information in the Provider FAQ section

Bertelsmann is funding the tech scholarships to build some of the most in-demand tech skills of our time and covers the costs from a central budget.

As an employee, you only need to invest your time. Whether this counts as working hours should be discussed with your respective manager or HR department.

Application phase: October 1 – November 30, 2024

Announcement scholarship recipients: Around December 9, 2024

Udacity Nanodegree phase: December 11, 2024 – July 12, 2025 (7 months)

Coursera access: December 11, 2024 – November 30, 2025 (1 year)

Harvard Online (Data Science Principles course): Group 1: February 19 – March 19, 2025 / Group 2: May 28 – June 25, 2025 (1 month)

The program takes place 100% online. Students can work from wherever they want to, as long as they have a working internet connection.

The learning content is extensive and requires a desktop computer. Udacity’s general technical requirements are listed here: www.udacity.com/tech-requirements. Coursera also offers a mobile app.

Learners should make sure to make continuous learning progress. Bertelsmann University reserves the right to remove inactive users from the program in order to give as many employees as possible the chance to take part in this learning initiative. Learners will be informed in advance and given the chance to activate their license in time.

• Udacity: Participants need to complete the first project or 25% of the content/ concepts within the first ~10 weeks (February 19, 2025) to avoid being removed from the program.
• Coursera: There are two activation deadlines.
  • March 2024: Participants must create their account on the Coursera platform and start at least one course to avoid being removed.
  • June 2024: Participants must have learned actively within the last 90 days and have completed one course to avoid being removed.
• Harvard Online: Weekly learning progress must be demonstrated by design of the course in order to successfully complete the program and receive a certificate.

Employees should only join this program if they are committed to learning and graduating within the defined timeline of the program. Nevertheless, if they are no longer able to learn (especially as a Coursera license holder), students should inform Bertelsmann University (university@bertelsmann.com) in order to give the license to another Bertelsmann employee.

Bertelsmann University will assign the participation to learners’ training plans on peoplenet shortly after the end of the application phase (December 2024) and update the learning history shortly after the end of course. HR departments will therefore have access to the names of participants in their specific units via peoplenet.

Participants can indicate in the application form if they agree that their individual learning progress is shared with their HR department. This helps HR departments to better target the support measures for participants within this program. Please see data protection note here: Coursera/ Udacity/ Harvard

Besides different opportunities such as a networking MS Teams group or check-in calls, most divisions are offering individual learner support.

You can find more detailed information at our comprehensive Info & Marketing page: https://www.bertelsmann-university.com/employeescholarship/employee-scholarship-infos.html.

This page is mainly designed for all divisional and local HR and communication departments to adjust the material for their needs and inform their employees about this initiaitve.

This Bertelsmann Employee scholarship is exclusivly for Bertelsmann employee.

But we have good news for you: You can participate in our external Udacity scholarship, the "Next Generation Tech Booster". Exclusively for external individuals worldwide. You can find more information and submit your application on Udacity´s landing page: https://www.udacity.com/scholarships/bertelsmann-next-generation-tech-booster. 

At Bertelsmann, we believe in empowering individuals worldwide with the necessary skills to thrive in the tech industry. That's why we have launched the Next Generation Tech Booster scholarship, in collaboration with Udacity. This program offers cutting-edge tech education and training to talented individuals. Whether you're a student or a professional, this program is designed to help you excel in the tech field.

Learners can choose from a defined set of Nanodegrees which are in line with some of the most in-demand skills profiles across the Bertelsphere. Each year, we are shaking things up a little and offer a variety of Nanodegrees to choose from. Learners need to indicate their chosen Nanodegree in their application. For the upcoming round, learners can choose between the following Nanodegrees:

•  

  Business Intelligence Analytics (Beginner/ minor prerequisites required)

• Digital Marketing (Beginner/ minor prerequisites required)

• Growth Product Manager (Beginner – Intermediate/ prerequisites required)

• Generative AI (Intermediate/ prerequisites required)

• Ethical Hacker (Advanced/ prerequisites required) à builds on Intro to Cyber Security and Enterprise Security from previous rounds

• Start: December 11, 2024
• Activation Deadline: February 19, 2025
• End: July 12, 2025

• Learners benefit from interaction and exchange with the community
• Job-related projects by industry experts
• Focus on business-relevant skills
• Useful help from mentors
• Support from subject matter experts through live webinars
• Graduates earn an industry-recognized credential

• An interactive learning community composed of colleagues within your cohort
• Short videos and interviews with instructors and industry experts
• Activities like quizzes and exercises (quizzes are a tool to help students learn, and an ongoing resource, so learner can watch videos and try the quizzes as many times as they like)
• Real-world projects, which must be completed and submitted
• Live and asynchronous feedback and support from program mentors

The learning journey will be 7 months and self-guided with 4-6 hours of learning per week. Students can learn in their own time, and there are no specific class hours when they need to be online (unless they wish to participate in the optional live project walkthroughs). Throughout the entire learning journey, students will have access to an online community platform, where they will be able to ask tutors and other employee-students for support to help them through any learning difficulties! Students will also have live “webinars” for each project, where a Udacity tutor, who is a content expert, offers a project walkthrough and unblocks any questions learners may have.

Learners should make sure to follow the program schedule presented in the classroom and they will be on track to graduate from the Nanodegree Program on time. However, if students do not make sufficient progress within the first ~10 weeks (until February 19, 2025), they risk being removed from the program. The criteria they must meet in order to avoid being revoked include submitting the first project or viewing 25% of the concepts.

Yes, students will have indefinite static access to the content after graduating the Nanodegree. Static access will include classroom content that will not be updated over time. Such access will not include access to projects that were not previously submitted, as well as certain services, such as community channels, project reviews, workspaces, labs, or quizzes. Also, please note that learners will lose access to the content if they fail to finish within the Nanodegrees final deadline.

Upon completion of the Nanodegree program, graduates receive an official certificate directly from Udacity. After the students have successfully completed their projects, their identity will be verified with a third-party provider, and students may be asked for a final interview. Once this procedure has been completed, the certificate can be viewed, printed and forwarded via the Udacity account.

Business Intelligence Analytics (Beginner)
The goal is to equip learners with the knowledge of business intelligence analytics and how enterprises utilize it. Graduates of this program will be able to identify the appropriate data analytics strategy for a given situation, understand their position in the data analytics lifecycle, and effectively load, clean, and organize data in Power Query and Power BI. Additionally, they will be skilled in creating clean and efficient data models for analysis and supporting enterprises in understanding future risks, analyzing markets, and making critical organizational decisions.
Please find more information here. 
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel functions, exploratory data analysis, data visualization, data wrangling, chart types, and elementary algebra is recommended but not necessary.
Required Hardware/Software/Tools: Windows PC (Windows 10 or greater), Power BI Desktop recommended but not necessary.

Digital Marketing (Beginner)
The goal is to equip learners with skills in digital marketing, enabling them to develop, execute, and measure effective campaigns across various online platforms. Learners will gain expertise in using the latest digital marketing tools and strategies to optimize brand visibility and engagement. Additionally, they will learn to analyze campaign performance and make data-driven decisions to enhance marketing outcomes.
Please find more information here.
Prerequisites: None
Required Hardware/Software/Tools: Google account, Bing Webmaster Tools or Google Site Manager, Google Site Explorer or AHRefs, Screaming Frog, SERanking, Google Ads account, Spreadsheet, Presentation tool

Growth Product Manager (Beginner – Intermediate)
The goal is to equip learners with the capabilities in customer acquisition, activation, and monetization of digital products. Learners will gain expertise in creating and optimizing growth loops, identifying core customers in new and existing segments, and analyzing results to make strategic improvements. Additionally, they will master activation theories to reduce time-to-value and friction, retention strategies to boost engagement, and the intricacies of monetization, including designing pricing plans and determining optimal price points.
Please find more information here.
Prerequisites: Learners should have experience in scoping business requirements, defining basic KPIs, performing data analytics using tools like Excel, and familiarity with arithmetic functions in spreadsheets.
(Eventhough there are a few prereqs, no technical assessment must be completed during the application process)

Generative AI (Intermediate)
The goal is to equip learners with the skills to leverage generative AI technologies, enabling them to create innovative AI-powered applications and solutions. This program is designed to help professionals understand and implement advanced AI techniques, including large language models, image generation, and text-based AI tools, to solve real-world challenges and drive business innovation.
Please find more information here.
Prerequisites: Use Python at an intermediate level and have a high-level knowledge of machine learning, AI, and generative AI.
As this Nanodegree has prerequisites, a technical assessment must be completed during the application process.

Ethical Hacker (Advanced)
The goal is to equip learners with the skills necessary to identify, exploit, and defend against security vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, and applications. This program prepares professionals to ethically hack systems, conduct penetration testing, and implement robust security measures to protect organizations from cyber threats.
Please find more information here.

Prerequisites:

• Network Security Fundamentals
• Command line interface Basics
• Computer Networking Basics
• Client-Server Model
• Basic Linux
• Cloud Computing Proficiency
• Cybersecurity Fluency

As this Nanodegree has prerequisites, a technical assessment must be completed during the application process.
Software and Hardware Requirements: Operating system - Windows, macOS or Linux/ Processor: Minimum speed - 2 GHz/ Virtualization support/ 64-bit instruction set/ 8GB of RAM/ 100GB of free storage space. Need to install Virtualbox locally. Not Required But Helpful: 16GB of RAM/ SSD drive.

Generally, a Coursera scholarship gives learners 12-months unlimited access to most learning content on the Coursera platform, including a wide range of courses, skillsets, specialization and clips designed by Coursera in collaboration with more than 200 universities. Learners get access to an extensive course catalog on many different topics with a focus on Data, Technology and Economics. If learners prefer more guidance as to what content to chose, they will find pre-curated learning paths for mission critical role profiles according to the Group-wide skills gap analysis on their landing page. To find content that matches their learning needs, learners can preview the Coursera catalog here or get a first impression of the Bertelsmann Employee Scholarship Program site including pre-curated courses here.

• Start: December 11, 2024
• Activation Deadlines: March & June 2025
• End: November 30, 2025

• Coursera provides content in collboration with some of the world's leading universities (incl. University of Michigan, HEC and Johns Hopkins) and institutions (e.g. Google, BCG and Deeplearning.ai)
• Highest possible flexibility: learning any time and from any place at the learner’s individual pace
• Certificates of completion are issued by the institution that provides the content on the Coursera platform: a fast-track opportunity to obtain a sharable certificate from a top league university or renowned organization

The learning journey will be 1-year self guided. Students can learn in their own time, and there are no specific class hours when they need to be online. Courses include recorded and peer-reviewed video lectures, assignments, and discussion forums for student exchange. In addition, Coursera offers “SkillSets”, an individualized learning experience by which each learner is given personalized recommendations for high-quality learning content based on their level of knowledge, learning progress and their own learning objective. For more information on learning with Coursera, please visit: https://www.bertelsmann-university.com/news/let-us-introduce-learning-with-coursera.html.

Generally, courses can take between 1-6 weeks to complete. However, the duration of the courses is very different and varies greatly. Coursera courses have been designed to allow learners to work at their own pace with bite-sized sessions and a self-paced learning model. The time varies by each course. Coursera keeps lectures and lessons short - with only a few minutes each - so learners can make meaningful progress in just a few minutes a day.

Learners should make sure to use their license actively. Bertelsmann University reserves the right to revoke the licenses of any inactive users to give as many employees as possible the chance to take 
part in this initiative. Learners will be informed in advance and given the chance to continue learning, accordingly. The following requirements must be met:

• Short term until March 2025: Learners must create their account on the Coursera platform and start at least one course.
• Long term until June 2025: Learners must have learned actively within the last 90 days and have completed one course.

Upon completion of a course, learners will be eligible to receive a shareable electronic course certificate. Certificates of completion are issued by the institution that is providing the content on the Coursera platform: a fast-track opportunity to obtain degree from a top league university or renowned tech organization.

Learners within the Harvard Online cohort of the Bertelsmann Employee Scholarship Program will jointly take the Data Science Principles course on the Harvard Online platform. This course is a code and math free introduction to key data science concepts. It has been designed as a foundational course for managersand leaders, enabling non-experts to successfully interface with experts in the field. At the end of the course, learners will:

• Comprehend the data science landscape and technical terminology to navigate a data-driven world
• Recognize major concepts and tools in the field of data science and determine where they can be applied with impact
• Appreciate the importance of curating, organizing, and wrangling data
• Explain uncertainty, causality, and data quality —and the ways in which they relate to each other
• Understand the consequences of data use and misuse and know when more data may be needed or when to change approaches

We are offering two start dates:

• Februarty 19 – March 19, 2025
• May 28 – June 25, 2025

Managers and leaders with no prior experience who want to learn about and master basic data science concepts in order to converse with experts and transform their businesses.

Harvard Online is an online education platform which offers a unique and highly engaging way of learning. Harvard Online is committed to staying true to the Harvard mission: to educate leaders who make a difference in the world, using an active, social, and case-based learning model. Learners immerse themselves in real-world cases and debate with peers from around the world — all while learning from renowned Harvard Online faculty.

Data Science Principles is a self-paced program delivered via the Harvard Online course platform. The platform features short videos by Harvard Online faculty and guest experts, interactive exercises and an exchange forum which learners will useto interact and engage with their cohort peers. Lessons are brought to life through real-world cases from a range of industry sectors.

Harvard Online Bertelsmann University take great pride in the effectiveness and efficiency of our programs and courses. As such, we have teamed up and will be accompanying you along this learning journey as well. What does that mean? To make sure that both the content and structure are effective, we will be asking you for feedback before, during and after the program. You can be sure: These surveys are not used to assess or evaluate individual learning progress. Rather, we want to use your responses to make this course (and others to come) even better. Your support in terms of taking the time to fill out these quick surveys is essential - thank you for that! Please see data protection notice here.

Learners should make sure to create their Harvard Online account and enroll in the course within the deadline announced in advance by e-mail. If participants fail to enroll on time, Bertelsmann University and Harvard Online reserve the right to give the seat to another learner on the waiting list.
Besides that it is a key requirement to complete 2 modules each week to unlock the next modules. Missing the deadline once is permissible but missing it a second time will result in being unable to complete the program successfully.

In order to earn a certificate of completion from Harvard Online, participants must thoughtfully complete all modules, including associated quizzes and peer engagement exercises within the given deadlines.

Content for this program is being unlocked successively on a week-by-week basis. Thus, constant classroom engagement is required. In between the weekly deadlines students can work to their own schedule.