New program, funded by The Charles Koch
Foundation, will connect non-traditional learners
with no-cost higher education programs
LANHAM,
Md. and BOSTON,
July 20,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- edX, a leading global
online learning platform from 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), together
with Jobs for the Future (JFF), and with funding from The Charles
Koch Foundation, today announced the launch of the edX
MicroBachelors® Program Pathway Initiative: an initiative to
connect adults who aspire to earn a bachelor's degree with
MicroBachelors programs on edX at no cost. Learners will also
receive the opportunity to interview at companies seeking qualified
candidates for roles that don't require a traditional two or
four-year degree.
The program will be open to anyone without a bachelor's degree
who wants to train for an entry or mid-level role that requires
fundamental tech or business skills. Starting today, qualified
learners will be able to apply for the following MicroBachelors
programs:
- Statistics Fundamentals and Mathematics and Statistics
Fundamentals from The London School of
Economics
- Marketing Essentials and Business and Professional
Communication for Success from Doane University
- Full Stack Application Development from IBM.
"Through the edX MicroBachelors Program Pathway Initiative,
we're working to level the playing field, empowering adults without
traditional degrees to build relevant, marketable skills," said
Anant Agarwal, founder of edX and
Chief Platform Officer at 2U. "By working with JFF and the Charles
Koch Foundation, we are taking another significant step toward
bridging the skills gap and democratizing access to high-quality
education for all."
According to a recently-released survey on skills-based hiring
trends, 80% of employers believe in prioritizing skills over
degrees in the hiring process. Yet, most still require a credential
to determine a candidate's skills and experience. Launched in 2020,
edX's MicroBachelors programs are credit-backed, open-admission
credential programs designed for adult learners without a
traditional four-year degree. Leading companies and nonprofit
universities worldwide offer these rigorous, career-focused
programs in partnership with edX. They are designed for anyone
looking to gain industry-relevant skills in high-demand and
emerging industries. For learners who want to pace their studies,
MicroBachelors program certificates come with transferable college
credit from one of edX's university credit partners. Those who
complete a MicroBachelors program can immediately use it as a
standalone credential on resumes and LinkedIn pages and eventually
apply the academic credit toward a full degree with the school of
their choice.
JFF, a national nonprofit that drives transformation of the U.S.
workforce and education systems, will support the initiative by
sourcing and evaluating candidates for the program. JFF's long
history of advocating for policies and systems that promote equal
opportunity for economic advancement will help ensure the
initiative's success and lasting impact on hundreds of learners
over the next three years.
"In partnership with edX and the Charles Koch Foundation, we're
pioneering a transformation in higher education and work," said
Rusty Greiff, Chief Strategy and
Growth Officer at JFF. "Programs like the edX MicroBachelors
Program Pathway Initiative are one step toward creating sustainable
pathways to prosperity for people who face systemic barriers to
advancement, including the over 40 million with some credit and no
degree, who are often overlooked by traditional hiring
systems."
The Charles Koch Foundation is supporting the initiative in two
key ways: first, the Foundation will fund the cost of the
MicroBachelors programs for 500 learners over three years; and
second, the Foundation will provide resources to JFF to develop a
longitudinal efficacy study to measure the efficacy and efficiency
of using MicroBachelors program credentials as criteria for
recruitment.
"Innovation in the higher learning space provides tremendous
value for learners, employers, and academia," said Ryan Stowers, the executive director of the
Charles Koch Foundation. "We are very excited about our partnership
with Jobs For the Future and their work with edX to develop and
launch this MicroBachelors program. This program will help prepare
students for fulfilling careers faster while giving employers
access to a more motivated and better-matched workforce."
The edX MicroBachelors Program Pathway Initiative is part of
edX for Impact – a collective effort to help marginalized
learners get the education they need in order to develop the skills
to pursue rewarding careers. edX for Impact programs are typically
funded by corporate, foundation, local, state, and government
partners, and provided at no cost to learners. This work includes
Access Partnerships, a workforce development model that brings
together nonprofit universities, companies, governments, and local
workforce development agencies to create free or substantially
cost-reduced pathways to job-relevant tech skills for women, people
of color, lower-income professionals, and other identified groups
who the traditional education system has historically underserved.
To date, edX has launched 18 Access Partnerships.
To learn more about the edX MicroBachelors Program Pathway
Initiative, please visit https://partnerships.edx.org/koch-jff.
About edX
edX is the global online learning platform
that fuels the world's ambition. edX was developed in 2012 by
Harvard and MIT to make the world's best education available to
everyone. Today, as a part of 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), edX connects
over 76 million people with online learning to meet every
professional moment. Together with top-ranked universities and
organizations at the forefront of their fields, edX offers
thousands of job-relevant programs across nearly every career
discipline, from artificial intelligence and robotics to
sustainability and public health. Find online courses,
certificates, boot camps, and degrees that fuel your ambition at
edX.org.
About JFF
Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives
transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to
achieve equitable economic advancement for all. www.jff.org
About The Charles Koch Foundation
The Charles
Koch Foundation partners with social entrepreneurs to remove the
barriers that prevent people from reaching their potential. It does
this by supporting innovations in postsecondary education that
allow all learners to discover, develop, and deploy their unique
aptitudes and gifts to benefit themselves and others. CKF also
supports best in class research exploring the key issues of
society, such as immigration, criminal justice, and economic
progress.
MicroBachelors is a registered trademark of Axim
Collaborative, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Media Contacts
edX: media@2u.com
JFF: ksakakeeny@jff.org
The Charles Koch Foundation:
mediainquiries@charleskochfoundation.org
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SOURCE 2U, Inc.