Washington, DC, April 26, 2016 – Cengage Learning’s Career Online High School, part of the world’s first AdvancED/SACS/NCA/NWAC accredited online school district, today announced that its founder Dr. Howard Liebman joined a select group of governmental, business, and education leaders attending yesterday’s UpSkill America special event held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The event was part of The White House’s upskilling initiative launched with President Obama’s 2015 Call to Action for businesses across the country “to help workers of all ages earn a shot at better, higher-paying jobs, even if they don’t have a higher education.”

Major companies answered that call in the year since, as organizations including Walmart, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Goodwill Industries partnered with educational providers such as Career Online High School to help their employees advance. The President is now appealing to more companies to follow suit, stating that, “In order to keep our edge, we need to build and maintain the most highly-skilled workforce in the world.”

The event, titled “Win/Win: Making the Business Case for Employer Talent Investment,” was hosted by UpSkill America, the Lumina Foundation, and Business Champions Supporting Adult Credential Completion. Also in attendance were leaders from top organizations, including the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, LinkedIn, The Aspen Institute, Economic Opportunities Program, Chick-fil-A, Wegmans, Hilton, Xerox, Walmart, Aon, Whole Foods 365, The Fresh Market, Sheetz, Fiat Chrysler, Accenture, and the AARP.

“Companies around the country recognize the importance of helping entry-level and mid-career employees gain the skills to move to more senior jobs and management positions,” said President Obama. “Training increases workers productivity. It leads to less turnover, which means employers down the road don’t need to spend as much money to hire and train new workers. And it increases innovation and profitability by unleashing the talent of your own employees.”

Dr. Liebman was involved in various discussions on how employers are working to elevate the skill and education levels of U.S. workers. “Career Online High School has become a leader in upskilling America’s workforce by partnering with major companies and employers to provide their employees the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma and entry-level workforce certificate,” stated Dr. Liebman. “We look forward to helping other business leaders learn how their organizations can benefit from providing educational and workforce improvement programs to their employees.”

The event focused on leading companies’ talent investment strategies, new employer talent programs, and ROI research and results for employee education and work skill programs. Since last year’s event, it has been reported that more than 200,000 workers have been trained, 12,500+ individuals have earned academic or career credentials, over 10 companies have established or expanded access to tuition assistance programs, and $100+ million in federal funding for competitive grants has been eligible for upskilling.

“In the history of the journey of this nation, one thing has been absolutely clear:” the President remarked. “If you give them a chance, Americans can do extraordinary things.”

For more information on UpSkill America, visit www.upskillamerica.org.

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