EdX established the first community college partnership, offering full scholarships in cybersecurity and data analytics boot camps and providing high-quality tech training for adult learners
TULSA, Okla. at CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 6, 2022 / PRNewswire/ – edX, the global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), has partnered with Tulsa Community College (TCC) at Tulsa Innovation Labs (TIL) to fund Cyber Skills Centera scholarship initiative that will provide adult students with Tulsa access to on -site at no cost, fully online boot camp training programs through TCC. Scholarships are designed to help increase technical talent Tulsa region, with a particular focus on helping women, BIPOC, and lower-income professionals build a more resilient economic future. Applications are now open, with the first boot camp cohorts starting October 2022.
Tulsa Community College Student Center (PRNewsfoto/2U, Inc.)
This initiative was launched as part of edX’s Access Partnerships: a social impact program that connects colleges and universities with local workforce agencies and funding partners to offer to adult learners of affordable paths to learn career-related technology skills. By focusing on innovation and building community engagement, these public-private partnerships have provided skills to hundreds of students in US and UK communities at little or no cost. Programs are currently active at a dozen leading non-profit colleges and universities, including University of Kansas, University of Central FloridaUniversity of Oregon, University of Utah, University of Denver, University of California-Davis, University of Minnesota, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin Extension, at University of Birmingham. Since 2016, more than 55,000 students have graduated from boot camps offered at more than 50 colleges and universities around the world in partnership with 2U, including 86% of graduates reporting a positive outcome after graduation.
“Tulsa Community College has extensive experience in evolving with changes in our workforce and developing individuals with the necessary skills for in-demand careers, ”said Drs. Leigh Goodson, president and CEO of TCC. “Boot camp graduates will not only be able to pursue new career opportunities after completing the program, but can also apply credits earned from boot camp to educational opportunities to support further reskilling and upskilling.”
“Our Access Partnerships help provide the infrastructure to bring colleges and universities, local labor and nonprofit agencies, funding partners, and employers to the table to address capacity gaps in the region and empower more working adults to succeed in the digital economy, ”he said Anant Agarwal, edX Founder and Chief Open Education Officer at 2U. “We are honored to accept TCC as our first community college partner and look forward to working with them and TIL to assist with re -skills and upskill. Tulsa learners in the area as the city continues to grow its tech community. “
The scholarship, funded with support from the TIL partner, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, covers the full value of the program, which includes 40 data analytics and 40 cyber security openings to start. The initial program is estimated to support more than 200 Tulsan over the next three years.
In addition to career support services from TIL and edX, all boot camp graduates will be eligible to continue learning enterprise-level skills in cybersecurity and data analytics through SkillStormSkillStorm’s 10-week training program, which also provides the potential opportunity to connect with SkillStorm’s diverse group of commercial and federal clients.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cybersecurity at data analysis employment is expected to grow by 33% and 22% respectively from 2020 to 2030. In Tulsa Tech Niche study, TIL identified these two cross-industry fields as key areas of focus for job creation. Over the past six months, employers in Tulsa area posted more than 3,100 cybersecurity jobs and more than 4,800 data analytics jobs, according to Burning Glass Labor Insights.
“Tulsa Innovation Labs is committed to making large investments where opportunities for traditionally underserved Tulsans overlap in industries where Tulsa has the right to win, “he said Nicholas Lalla, Managing Director of Tulsa Innovation Labs. “This initiative is a home run in both numbers, and will be a game-changer in how the city uses its unique competitive advantages to give Tulsans from every background the opportunity to access a high salary careers in cyber and data analytics. “
For more information on the Cyber Skills Center, the Access Partnership, and to apply for scholarships, visit tulsacc.edu/cybercenter.
About edX
edX is the education movement for restless learners and a leading global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU). Together with most of the world’s top universities and industry-leading companies, we bring our community of over 44 million world-class education students to support them at every stage of their lives and careers, from free course up to the full level. And we don’t stop there-we relentlessly pursue our vision of a world where every student can access education to unlock their potential, without cost or location barriers. Learn more at edX.org.
About Tulsa Community College
Tulsa Community Collegewinner of two national Awards of Excellence from the American Association of Community Colleges in 2021, is an important link in workforce development for the northeast Oklahoma. Serving more Oklahomans than any other higher education institution in the state, TCC has four major campuses with approximately 21,000 students on credit courses each year. For five decades, TCC has provided access to an affordable college education. As one of 30 community colleges selected for the inaugural Pathways Project, a national initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, TCC is one of the most comprehensive community colleges in The united state. For more information on TCC, visit www.tulsacc.edu.
About Tulsa Innovation Labs
Recognizing that future jobs are rooted in a thriving economy of change, the George Kaiser Family Foundation pioneered Tulsa Innovation Labs to develop a citywide strategy that positions Tulsa as tech hub and leader in future work. Through a diverse coalition of public and private partners, TIL creates economic development programs that want to do Tulsa the most inclusive technology community in the country. Learn more at tulsainnovationlabs.com.
About Skillstorm
Founded in 2002, SkillStorm was built on the mission of accelerating careers in high-demand technologies. We make Stormers, the most select developers in the world. We hire, train, and deploy Stormers from all backgrounds and levels of experience in today’s in-demand technologies, including AWS, Appian, Salesforce, PEGA, and ServiceNow. We are committed to recruiting and training college graduates and veterans for high -growth technology careers with our Fortune 100 clients. Through these dedicated efforts, we provide our clients with exclusive pipeline of high -quality, US -based tech talent custom trained with the skills necessary to support our clients ’critical technology initiatives. As a flexible partner in the technology workforce, we provide fully formed tech teams at every level of experience, skill set, and clearance. Stormers are placed either at our clients ’sites or at our US -based delivery centers.
Media Contact: Caitlin Kanaly, [email protected]
SOURCE 2U, Inc.
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