Smart Horizons and ed2go’s Commitment to Action Partnerships Provide Scholarships for High School Diplomas and Career Certificates to Corporations, Non-Profit Organizations, Public Libraries, and Post-Secondary Institutions
Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE) and Cengage Learning’s ed2go joined workforce training partners last week in Denver at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) meeting, a program of the Clinton Global Initiative that addresses economic recovery in the United States. SHCOE/ed2go’sCommitment to Action aims to re-engage youth and young adults in education and support employers in providing workforce training as part of CGI’s Education & Workforce Development track.
SHCOE and ed2go partner with companies in the retail and hospitality industry to provide scholarships to employees for an accredited high school education via the Career Online High School. As part of the CGI Commitment to Action, the Career Online High School program offers fully accredited high school diplomas with “career certificates” in retail, food service, and other key sectors commonly employing high school dropouts.
“CGI America is an ideal platform for making an impact as it facilitates partnerships enabling us to provide educational opportunities to those who lack high school diplomas,” said Ron Stefanski, Chief Business Development Officer at ed2go. “We have been overwhelmed by the excitement and enthusiasm among corporate partners in supporting our Commitment to Action and it is clear that corporations are eager to make progress in solving the challenges of strengthening the retail workforce. Our relationship with an organization of CGI’s stature provides an unprecedented opportunity to move this work forward.”
The SHCOE/ed2go Commitment to Action was also featured as a case study at the CGI America “Re-Connecting Youth” Working Group, at which SHCOE CEO and Superintendent Dr. Howard Liebman served as a lead facilitator. The group looked at strategies for reconnecting young people to opportunities for economic self-sufficiency and full-time employment.
“The Working Group brought together key players from various sectors to discuss expanding nontraditional pathways to attaining employable skills and diminish existing skills gaps,” said Dr. Liebman. “In its first year Career Online High School reached over 2,000 students; we are now working to concretize plans to grow our footprint and scale the program in year two. It was a powerful experience to work with other individuals so committed to taking action to combat our nation’s dropout crisis.”
For more information on Career Online High School, please visit: www.careeronlinehs.org
For more information on or to read the CGI Commitment to Action, please visit: http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/commitments/commitments_search.asp?id=830506
About CGI America
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Established in June 2011 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) addresses economic recovery in the United States. CGI America brings together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and support workforce development in the United States. Since its first meeting, CGI America participants have made more than 400 commitments valued at nearly $16 billion when fully funded and implemented..
About Cengage Learning and ed2go
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, software and services company for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. ed2go, part of Cengage Learning, is the largest provider of turnkey online training and education solutions serving the adult education, career, and corporate training markets. With over 2,000 colleges, universities, community based organizations and other training providers, ed2go has served more than 2.5 million students. ed2go’s ever-growing catalog of Online Courses and Career Training Programs makes it simple for students to enrich their lives or reach professional goals in a supportive and engaging environment. ed2go also can help educational institutions jump-start their online education programs or augment existing distance learning options. For more information visitwww.cengage.com or www.ed2go.com