Pearson and Forage, a platform dedicated to helping students get jobs at the world’s top employers, this week announced a partnership to embed job simulations into Pearson’s MyLab courseware platform and in Pearson+.
Millions of students use MyLab each year to access their coursework and eTextbooks. This month, Forage’s simulations will be available in MyLab to students studying 15 business and economics disciplines, including marketing, finance, and accounting. Later this year, Pearson+ users will have access to Forage’s full library of nearly 350 job simulations and starting in 2024, students can earn badges from Credly when they complete a Forage job simulation. Credly is a Pearson solution.
“Preparing for the workforce can be daunting for any college student. Now students can build their skills anywhere, anytime, inside the same trusted Pearson platforms they already use for their studies,” said Tom ap Simon, president of Pearson’s Higher Education division. “This is yet another way we are helping students stand out from the crowd, bridge the gap between college and the workplace, and achieve their ultimate goal of landing a great job.”
“We are proud to partner with Pearson, a true giant in the education space,” said Tom Brunskill, CEO and co-founder at Forage. “Through this partnership, Forage will build on Pearson’s offering by giving students access to job simulations authored by some of the world’s most iconic employers. We are excited that this partnership will allow Forage to continue to deliver on its ambition to get millions of motivated students into great jobs by giving all students the visibility, resources, and confidence to succeed.”
Four million students have used Forage to prepare for interviews and land internships. Their job simulations are built with some of the world’s most prestigious and recognizable employers, such as Red Bull, lululemon, Accenture, BCG, GE Aerospace, and Citi. Forage simulations allow students to explore what it’s like to work in their desired field and gain practical skills to bolster what they’ve learned in the classroom. Students also have the option of letting companies see their completed work, an opportunity that has resulted in students being over 2x more likely to land a job with the employer whose simulation they’ve completed. Students using Forage make up nearly 20% of employers’ early talent hires.
Universities are increasingly recognizing the need for job skills in the classroom. Urszula Zalewski, Director of Experiential Learning at Stony Brook University, said “While higher education institutions provide students with a strong academic foundation, there is a growing need for a broader set of skills in the ever-evolving job market. Many employers seek candidates who not only possess technical knowledge but also demonstrate proficiency in soft skills. Faculty at Stony Brook University encourage a culture of lifelong learning and help students stay competitive by introducing Forage job simulations in the classroom.”
Student Alvin Fan landed a job with Citi after completing a Forage simulation. “This program on Forage is like having binoculars,” Fan said. “You aren’t experiencing the entire environment yet, but you get to peer across to see what it’s like, piecing together what you have read about. After the Citi program, I knew what skills I needed to focus on. It helped me to understand what I need to work on and what I might be good at.”
Scribbles Software, a leading provider of K-12 records and enrollment software, has expanded to higher education with the creation of ScribForward, a new document management tool that helps colleges and universities streamline management of student application documents. The platform will replace UConnect from Scribbles Software, and features both a free version, or an upgraded paid version with more robust features. Institutions can sign up for ScribForward at https://www.scribsoft.com/scribforward.
ScribForward provides admissions departments with a secure, organized online portal for all student application documents, including letters of recommendation, transcripts and more. Colleges and universities can:
ScribForward helps colleges and universities streamline management of student application documents.
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- Receive records and application documents from students across the country
- Be notified when new documents have been received via automated email
- Filter document lists by status, date received, and other criteria
- Export documents from a single student into one file
- Audit and track all document and administrative duty activity
- Control user access so student data is secure and private
- And more.
“The college application process is already difficult and stressful enough for both students and college admissions departments without them having to worry about the potential for misplaced or lost application documents,” said Marshall Simmonds, Scribbles’ vice president of sales. “Scribbles has a long-history of providing K-12 schools with best-in-class software to manage student applications, enrollment records, transcript requests, and more. We saw a similar need to support higher education admissions departments in handling the voluminous number of student application documents they receive each year. ScribForward now makes the process for institutions easier, more efficient, and secure. Students can feel confident their application documents will get to their colleges of choice securely and efficiently.”
Currently, 4,400 colleges, universities, and technical/vocational institutions receive transcripts and documents through the Scribbles e-transcript network. In April 2023, Scribbles Software partnered with PowerSchool, the provider of Naviance eDocs to allow students and schools to use Scribbles and Naviance to send digital transcripts to colleges and universities with the click of a button.
2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), the company behind global online learning platform edX, today announced it has signed contracts with six universities to launch 50 new degree programs under the company’s ‘flex’ degree partnership model, with the majority launching in 2024. The new online degrees will be offered by four new 2U partners–Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS), Hawai’i Pacific University (HPU), King’s College London, and Maryville University–and two existing 2U partners, Emerson College and University of Cape Town (UCT).
Today’s announcement underscores the significant demand for 2U’s ‘flex’ degree model and follows seven previously-announced degree contracts set to launch in 2024, including those from UC Davis and UNC Chapel-Hill. This continued momentum builds toward 2U’s plan to launch at least 80 new degree programs in 2024.
“We have unprecedented demand for our flexible partnership model,” said Andrew Hermalyn, President of Partnerships at 2U, the company behind edX. “This sharp increase highlights the appetite for continued digital innovation among universities and is a testament to the transformative power of public-private higher education partnerships. With our partners, we’ll continue to provide greater and more equitable pathways to the world’s best higher education.”
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, a new 2U partner, will launch its first online degrees, a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences and a Master of Science in Biomanufacturing and Bioprocessing, on edX. The MS in Biomedical Sciences is designed to provide students the opportunity to strengthen their academic record for entrance into health professions programs such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, physician assistant, and pharmacy. The MS in Biomanufacturing and Bioprocessing aims to meet the expanding workforce needs in biomanufacturing and bioprocessing by preparing the next generation of life science professionals, including those already working within the industry, to operate effectively in this evolving industrial setting.
Hawai’i Pacific University, a private, nonprofit institution on O’ahu renowned for its exceptional cultural diversity, is expanding its online program portfolio by introducing four master’s degrees on edX. HPU will continue to meet the growing demand for programs and practitioners in education, data, and health sciences, launching a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Cybersecurity, a Master of Social Work (MSW), and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership. HPU will also utilize 2U’s clinical placement support for students enrolled in the online MSW program.
King’s College London, a new 2U partner, will launch a Master’s in Professional Studies on edX– a first of its kind for the university. Created with a ‘build-your-own’ learning approach, students will be able to choose from over 100 existing King’s Online courses from across all nine of King’s individual schools to help complete their degree across a wide variety of specializations, ranging from mental health policy to business. King’s will also offer 12 Professional Certificate programs on edX in fields including law, technology, business, and healthcare.
Maryville University, a new 2U partner, will launch 47 online education programs on edX, including 28 undergraduate degrees, 11 graduate degrees, five undergraduate certificates, and three graduate certificates. Maryville is committed to creating affordable pathways to higher education, with many of its online graduate degrees on edX disruptively priced at or under $27,000, including an MBA and Master of Science degrees in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, healthcare care management, and cybersecurity.
Emerson College, renowned for its emphasis on the art of storytelling and the science of marketing analytics, will build on its existing partnership with 2U to launch an online Master of Marketing degree. As a media and communications-focused institution, Emerson is uniquely positioned to deliver a program that not only fosters creativity and storytelling but also harnesses the power of data and analytics to drive marketing innovation.
University of Cape Town will build on its existing partnership with 2U to launch three online postgraduate diplomas – one-year graduate level programs – on edX in marketing, public sector accounting, and sports management. Additionally, UCT will be offering a stackable credit pathway where learners who have completed UCT short courses on relevant topics can apply those courses to the full postgraduate diploma.
2U and its partners continue to invest in high-quality, cutting-edge content across the most in-demand fields. As one of the world’s leading developers of tech talent, 2U is committed to expanding its existing portfolio of free-to-degree offerings on edX that meet learners where they are with the courses and programs they need to drive impactful career outcomes. Learn more at 2U.com.
