TMCnet News

Pearson and Higher Education Institutions Partner to Address Demands of Today's Workforce
[September 17, 2012]

Pearson and Higher Education Institutions Partner to Address Demands of Today's Workforce


BOSTON, Sep 17, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- via PRWEB - As the nation's unemployment rate remains high, yet many available jobs go unfilled due to a shortage of qualified applicants, higher education institutions are seeking ways to quickly implement effective workforce training programs. These programs must be designed to rapidly retrain individuals, meet the workforce needs of local communities, and fit within institutions' shrinking budgets. To address this challenge, more than 40 higher education institutions across the country have partnered with Pearson for comprehensive and affordable online workforce education solutions.



Pearson provides career market research and analysis to help education providers match the skills in demand within their community, and works with them to develop the ideal workforce training program to accomplish their goals. Program offerings include curriculum design and development, based on extensive instructional design expertise and a library of affordable; professional development for instructors; and modular online training courses in high demand sectors such as healthcare, business, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and project management and supervision.

Through these solutions, institutions help learners prepare for certification exams, or earn stackable credentials toward a degree. Among the 40 institutions partnering with Pearson, are North Dakota State University, Brookline College, Iowa Western Community College, Middlesex Community College, and Owens College.


Grand Rapids Community College, located in Michigan, where the unemployment rate is above 8 percent, is also working with Pearson to design its rigorous workforce program curriculum and train faculty. "The challenge GRCC is working to address is the ability to meet industry skill deficits and prepare individuals quickly to meet employers' needs. Our comprehensive partnership with Pearson enables us to make the most efficient use of our limited financial resources, and retrain our residents to successfully re-enter the local workforce," said Julie Parks, Director, Workforce Training, Grand Rapids Community College. Last year, GRCC Workforce Training served over 9,000 individuals and 580 companies in the west Michigan.

And in Arizona, Mesa Community College has adopted Pearson's project management courses, and expects to expand its offerings over time. "Pearson's deep expertise in providing efficacy-based curriculum development services, coupled with our instructional excellence, enables us to provide a high quality certificate training program for both our credit and non-credit learners," said Leah Palmer, Director, Workforce and Community Partnerships, Mesa Community College.

"The growth of our economy strongly depends on having a highly qualified workforce. We look forward to extending our partnerships with higher learning institutions to deliver more flexible and convenient training programs in an online model," said Leah Jewell, President of Health Science and Careers at Pearson Higher Education.

For more information, visit http://www.pearsonworkforceeducation.com.

About Pearson Pearson, the world's leading learning company, has global reach and market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO). The company provides innovative print and digital education materials, including personalized learning programs such as MyLab / Mastering; educational services including custom publishing; and content-independent platforms including the EQUELLA digital repository, and Pearson LearningStudio online learning platform.

Media Contact: Susan Aspey, susan.aspey(at)pearson(dot)com or (800) 745-8489 This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/9/prweb9911592.htm This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com SOURCE: Pearson CONTACT: Pearson Susan Aspey [email protected] (800) 745-8489

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]