Summary of our market study

The global e-learning market, valued at $165 billion in 2020, is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 14.6% to reach $374 billion by 2026. This surge in demand is attributed to factors like increased digitalization, adoption of mobile apps and social media, familiarity with blended learning technologies, diffusion of virtual reality, and greater internet penetration in devices, alongside societal trends such as population growth and heightened standards of education. As a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact, there has been a significant shift towards e-learning, with a notable increase in internet use for online courses in Portugal, jumping from 6% to 14% in 2020. Europe, as of 2020, holds the largest share of the e-learning market at 35%, with content providers constituting more than half of the market share. Key global players in the market include Aptara, Inc., Adobe Systems, Inc., Cornerstone, and several others, providing a mix of mostly paid courses with a few free options available.

Portuguese E-Learning Landscape: A Surge in Digital Education

Portugal's e-learning market, though in its infancy, shows promising growth underpinned by a strong internet penetration that stands at approximately 85% of households. Interestingly, the usage of computers, despite a slight dip, is significantly higher among the youth, which bodes well for the digital learning domain. In an era dominated by advancements in technology and connectivity, Portugal is not far behind with a steady rise in frequent and regular internet use, reaching nearly 70% and 76%, respectively. The inflow of international e-learning providers into the Portuguese market has been significant, with platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and Miriadax offering an array of courses, many of which are now available in Portuguese. Despite intense competition, domestic players, such as CEAC and Master.d, maintain a foothold by offering localized courses aligning with the needs of Portuguese residents.

Perceptibly, the drivers of e-learning in Portugal span from infrastructure, such as internet connectivity and device ownership, to skill sets like digital competencies. Reports indicate that nearly 90% of the 16-24 age group possess essential digital skills, suggesting a tech-savvy future population. However, when the lens is broadened to include the entire populace, this figure slightly lags behind the European average. Looking at Portuguese behavior towards e-learning, a considerable number display a propensity toward this mode of education, with management, visual arts, and IT being the most popular subjects. Remarkably, despite a third of the participants opting for free courses, the rest were willing to invest an average of nearly 300 euros into their online education. Pricing strategies for e-learning in Portugal reveal diverse models including pay-per-learner, pay-per-use, and license fees, accommodating a range of consumers from individual learners to large organizations. The production costs can touch approximately 35,000 euros for an hour of course content, indicating substantial investments made in the creation of e-learning modules. 

Key Players Shaping the E-Learning Landscape

In the dynamic world of e-learning, a blend of global heavyweights and specialized local entities are pushing the boundaries of digital education, both internationally and within Portugal. Diverse in their offerings and origins, these players are contributing significantly to the transformative wave of online learning that caters to a myriad of educational needs. Below, we explore the pivotal entities that are driving growth and innovation in the e-learning market.

Global Titans Paving the Way:

  • Coursera : Originating from the USA, Coursera stands as a colossus in the e-learning domain, providing an extensive array of courses across disciplines like Big Data, Computer Programming, and Cryptocurrency Technology. This platform is predominantly known for its paid courses in partnership with prestigious universities and organizations worldwide.
  • Udacity : Another major player from the USA, Udacity specializes in cutting-edge subjects such as Digital Marketing, Artificial Intelligence, and Automotive Engineering. The platform offers mostly paid courses, focusing on upskilling and reskilling with Nanodegrees and executive programs.
  • Udemy : A hub for learners and professionals seeking knowledge in Web Development, Financial Management, or Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Udemy is also based in the USA. It provides a mix of paid courses that cater to a wide range of fields, serving as a platform where anyone can create and sell their courses.
  • Duolingo : Known for its game-like language learning approach, Duolingo from the USA offers free language courses with optional premium features. It has garnered widespread acclaim for making language learning accessible and fun.
  • Edx : A joint venture by academic institutions, Edx, from the USA, offers an array of mostly free courses in subjects like Chemistry and Economics. This platform is known for its emphasis on open access and collaboration across universities.

Portuguese Prodigies Cultivating Local Expertise:

  • Mais Cursos : Functioning as a comprehensive search engine for online courses tailored to Portuguese speakers, Mais Cursos plays a pivotal role in connecting learners with a variety of e-learning opportunities.
  • Nau : Uniquely positioned as a platform bundling free online courses, Nau serves as a digital portal to mass education, allowing learners to explore diverse subjects at no cost.
  • CEAC : A Portuguese platform offering paid courses in areas like Education and Construction, CEAC addresses the need for vocational and professional training within the country.
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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Definition and Introduction

E-learning, or digital learning, is a learning method through online platforms and services. E-learning is used for personal and/or professional training. There are three main categories of e-learning :

  • MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) are generally free open access courses; upon completion, participants can obtain certifications
  • SPOCs (Small Private Online Courses) are similar to MOOCs, but are fee-based. In fact, their access is limited to specific users, such as university students. They can also be used to obtain certifications.
  • COOCs (Corporate Open Online Courses) are used by companies to train their employees.

E-learning is linked to the vocational training and education sectors. The methodology democratizes access to training, as it allows flexibility in education and access to all users with an Internet connection, regardless of their location.

The digital learning market in Portugal is still quite small, but its growth prospects are quite promising; currently, 84.5% of the Portuguese households are connected to the internet, a proportion that is expected to keep on growing at a steady rate. Moreover, computer use in Portugal is also increasing among families. These aspects make the Portuguese e-learning market quite a promising one.

The Covid-19 pandemic also served as a boost to the e-learning market in Portugal, with the percentage of people using the internet for undertaking online courses more than doubling between 2019 and 2020.

In regards to the platforms being used, the main players are the international platforms such as Coursera or Udemy. However, Portuguese platforms are slowly emerging. While some of these e-learning platforms are independent, most of them tend to be associated to education institutions

The still embrionic development of the market and the low barriers to entry could, however, encourage the emergence of new players in this market.

1.2 The global market

In **** the global e-learning market was valued at *** billion dollars. This market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (***) of **.*% to reach a size of *** billion dollars by ****.

Global e-learning market World, ****-****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

The COVID-** pandemic has created massive potential and opportunity in ...

1.3 The growing Portuguese market

As seen in the previous section (***) of this study, Europe is the world's largest market for e-learning, accounting for **% of its share in **** for a total of ** billion euros. In Portugal, it is estimated that **% of the population was using e-learning platforms in **** - or *.* million people [***].

To calculate the size ...

1.4 The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-** pandemic and the resulting lockdowns hurt many economic sectors. Understandably, the e-learning market is one that benefited. With offices and schools closed all types of activity, instruction and work had to be done online.

In fact, statistics provided by Eurostat show that the number of people undertaking online courses ...

2 Demand Analysis

2.1 Determinants of demand

There are three major factors that are crucial to e-learning: Internet connectivity, ownership of a device, and technical competencies.

Internet connectivity

The number of households that are connected to the internet in Portugal has been growing very strongly over the last * decades. In fact, the percentage of households connected to the ...

2.2 Growing demand for e-learning

In Portugal, the amount of people using internet for doing an online course had been growing very slowly up until ****. However, the Covid-** pandemic boosted this and the amount of people doing online courses more than doubled; *% in **** vs. **% in **** [***].

People using the internet for online courses Portugal, ****-****, in % total ...

2.3 Portuguese behaviour towards e-learning

Following from the crisis caused by the Covid-** pandemic, the e-learning sector actually managed to thrive from it, as demand for these types of services increased. A study by Fixando in **** shows just how popular e-learning platforms are in Portugal.

First of all, it is important to note that **% of the ...

3 Market structure

3.1 The international players

Given the global reach of the e-learning market, a very important part of the Portuguese market can be attributed to international players. Among these players, we can note the following platforms:

Source: ****

Most of these e-learning platforms (***) offer courses in Portuguese, making it accessible for people that potentially do not speak ...

3.2 The players specialised in Portugal

While the international players make up the largest share of the online courses being undertaken in Portugal, there are still some domestic players that participate in this market.

For the Portuguese players, many of the courses offered are by universities and education institutions. However, there is a fair share of courses ...

4 Analysis of the offer

4.1 The e-learning offer

When deciding between different platforms to use for undertaking online courses, people need to consider different aspects of the offer. Below are some of the aspects [***]:

Quality of the course provider That the course is in line with the person's objectives How applicable/useful the knowledge gained from the course will ...

4.2 Prices and production costs

The price of e-learning courses can vary enormously, from a free video to a tailor-made course ordered by a large company.

In the educational environment, when schools, colleges, and high schools integrate e-learning activities into their curricula, this does not generate additional costs for parents.

Academic environment

Concerning e-learning offered by ...

4.3 New trends in e-learning

Measurability

Training is no longer being considered unrelated to corporate objectives. The tools for evaluating it and measuring its actual impact on the business are already very important today and will become increasingly important in the coming years.

*G

*G will consolidate what is already happening with *G, i.e. ...

5 Regulations

5.1 Regulations

To understand the regulations that govern the e-learning activity in Portugal, we use the information provided by the Panorama E-learning.

The information gathering exercise carried out for the national reality has made it possible to identify a reduced number of normative instruments in which the matters covered include the regulation of ...

6 Positioning of the players

6.1 Segmentation

  • Coursera
  • Docebo
  • Udemy
  • Udacity
  • Duolingo
  • CEAC
  • E-Learn PT

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Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Coursera
Docebo
Udemy
Udacity
Duolingo
CEAC
E-Learn PT

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