Meet Kelly Cocks, Senior Director of Product Solutions and Success for Boundless Learning. With over two decades of career experience, Kelly is well-versed in sales and product development. She now focuses on three priorities in her role: product solutions and success, a new partnership with CrossKnowledge, and our short course product portfolio.

We spoke with Kelly about her career journey, why short courses are key to upskilling for organizations and individuals, and how relationship building impacts our business.

“I have held several roles across sales, partnership, and product development — and with some roles at the intersection between them all.

Having originally joined Pearson’s higher education division, I spent seven years leading field-based sales teams selling textbook and digital products to higher education institutions across the UK.

I had a brief period working on corporate partnerships, before taking on a Head of Partnership role working with Pearson College and Escape Studios, and before leading the partnerships with Blavatnik School of Government and the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University.

These were the first partnerships through which we designed, developed, and launched short courses, developing our current product model. I had the opportunity to work on a variety of short course product models across other partnerships and collaborations including IBM, London Business School, and some India-based universities.

In 2021, I moved to work in the Product Team as Head of Service Design and Delivery, with product management remit for learning programs including degree and short courses for our UK OPM partners.

As Pearson Online Learning Services transitioned to Boundless Learning in the summer of 2023, I took on global remit as Director of Learning Services, responsible for delivering services to partners and clients as a well as providing services directly to learners, including management of the vendors used to augment the services.

I was recently promoted to Senior Director, Product Solutions and Success, where I will lead our efforts in client engagement and success, with a focus on product innovation to ensure that our solutions deliver maximum value to learners and partners.”

“Through our partnership with CrossKnowledge, I am focused on identifying areas of synergy and collaboration between our two organizations and executing on plans to operationalise the opportunities they present for our partners and ultimately the learners we both serve.

In product managing for our short course products, I am focused on executing our product map to enhance and augment the learner experience, as well as ensuring courses remain relevant for every type of learner. This includes leveraging new tools and technologies to support the delivery of the courses, as well as enhancing operational efficiencies to offer them at scale.

I also have goals for developing new short course propositions with our existing academic partners, ensuring that research informs new short course products, aligns with market demand, and addresses a specific skills gap.”

“Boundless Learning is involved in offering short courses through partnerships we have with several schools at Oxford University, through which we offer courses in sustainability, public policy and artificial intelligence (AI).

The short courses in the portfolio are short, non-credit bearing learning experiences. They last four to eight weeks and provide learners with the opportunity to gain specific skills in a condensed time frame, without the need to commit to a long-term program of study.

These online courses are ideal for learners who are in full-time employment, as they provide the opportunity to study flexibly and fit coursework around professional and personal commitments, with a study time of about four to six hours per week. Learners benefit from the opportunity to access premium learning content from a prestigious institution, and benefit from the opportunity to network with peers working in different sectors, locations, and roles as part of a global cohort.

Boundless Learning is responsible for the hosting and ongoing delivery of these short courses, leveraging our delivery ecosystem.”

“Short courses can be a good upskilling solution for employers, as they target specific skills gaps since the online delivery of them provides a consistent learning experience for employees distributed globally and, in many instances, can be tailored to meet the requirements of an employer. They also carry the credibility of providing certificates from leading universities, offer the opportunity to network with peers from across the globe, and encourage knowledge sharing.

For learners looking to upskill in a specific topic, either to support their career progression or stay up to date in their current role, short courses can be a good fit.

For learners who may not have studied for a long time or are considering a long-term degree program, a short course can be an ideal introduction to online study ahead of their commitment to a full-time degree program.”

“Strong relationships are based on a foundation of trust, transparency, and shared vision and goals. When working with partners, it is critical that all parties align and have visibility of the long-term, mutually agreed upon roadmaps that will guide the plans for successful delivery of shared goals.

Our vendors play a critical role in supporting the delivery of our learning solutions, so it is key that we select partners who share the same values and demonstrate the same commitment to learners that we do at Boundless Learning.

“At Boundless Learning, incorporating innovative technologies into our product roadmaps is key, especially where we can leverage these technologies to deliver improved experiences for our learners. We will continue to leverage technologies where it makes sense to improve the quality of our learning products and enhance the delivery of them; for example, making support even more accessible for learners during their studies at the point they need it.”

About Kelly Cocks: Kelly is an established cross-functional leader, with leadership roles spanning sales, business development, and product and service solutions. Over fourteen years, she’s held a variety of roles at Boundless Learning, including Head of Service Design and Director of Learning Services.

Prior to Pearson, she spent a decade in sales at Reed Elsevier in the Health Services division. She is experienced in client-facing roles, including higher education, corporate and professional groups, and associations, delivering both off-the-shelf and customized product solutions.