Whatever you call it — learning, education or training — it is undeniable that gaining skills in this time of accelerating change is critical for each-and-every one of us. Especially as the world undergoes continued and profound global economic and job disruption.

The question is, however, where do you go to gain the skills you need now instead of at the end of some multi-week course delivered via traditional teaching methods? CoCoMSP has engineered a way to get what you need now (my emphasis):

Working with Skillshare.com, CoCo is setting up a community-powered school that focuses on big ideas…and the tools that make those ideas reality.

Beginning in July, CoCo will open its doors on weekday evenings to host classes that are created and taught by experts in the Twin Cities community. Depending on participation, classes will most likely revolve around business, entrepreneurship, technology and creativity.

Skillshare is a unique, crowdsourcing platform that leverages the skill-sets that exist in a community and provides suggested ways instructors can get paid for their efforts. Though classes can be sponsored (e.g., a company like Adobe could sponsor courses on digital publishing) the suggested fee is $50 per 2-hour session.

CoCo says that they are, “...kicking things off all proper-like with Skillshare Fair on Saturday, June 23, a free, day-long unconference that will give everyone a chance to teach, learn and share ideas on business, entrepreneurship, tech, marketing or whatever! Oh, and there will be beer.” Read all about this initiative and their plans here.

Though there have been many attempts at community education in the past by others, they’ve been geared for a wider audience of ‘consumers’ vs. the intent of this new venture between CoCo and Skillshare: a focus on technology, creative and other innovation skills that entrepreneurs, creatives, technologists and visionaries need right now to address today’s needs and, most critically, what’s coming next.