BOSTON and BENTONVILLE, Ark., Jan.
18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Walmart has expanded its
partnership with Cengage, an education and technology company, to
offer all associates and their benefits-eligible family members the
opportunity to earn accredited high school diplomas and career
certificates. Offered through Walmart's Lifelong Learning program,
Career Online High School (COHS) is designed to reengage
adults in education and is free for Walmart associates and eligible
family beginning on the first day of their employment. To date, 200
associates have received their high school diploma through COHS,
while another 400 are currently enrolled.
"Walmart was the first retailer to provide Career Online High
School to employees and is continuing to lead by expanding the
program to family members," said Jonathan
Lau, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Skills
Group, Cengage "Providing free access to the program for eligible
family members of associates is a testament to the success and
impact the COHS program has had and to their commitment to
workforce development."
"Walmart believes education opens doors," said Brian Poland, Director of Walmart Lifelong
Learning & Talent Development. "Career Online High
School allows associates to create additional opportunities
while working at Walmart, and we're excited to provide these
educational offerings to their eligible family members as
well."
Walmart's Lifelong Learning program provides associates access
to no-cost or low-cost education programs including ESL, high
school, career certificates, and the most comprehensive college
credit for prior learning program in the country. The COHS program
is part of Walmart's overall upskilling strategy that integrates
training, education, and workforce development efforts to create
opportunity for associates and their families.
In addition to an accredited high school diploma, program
graduates earn a credentialed career certificate in one of eight
high-growth, high-demand career fields (across a wide spectrum,
from retail and customer service to certified transportation),
further positioning them for success in the workforce.
Students have up to 18 months to complete their courses and may
be able to complete the program in as few as six months by
transferring previously earned high school credits. Once enrolled,
the Walmart Lifelong Learning COHS program pairs each student with
an academic coach, who assists with developing an individual career
plan, offers ongoing guidance and encouragement, evaluates
performance, and connects the learner with the resources needed to
demonstrate mastery of the course material. Classes are supported
by board-certified instructors and students have 24/7 access to the
online learning platform.
COHS was created in 2012 by ed2go, a Cengage company, and Smart
Horizons Career Online Education to provide affordable,
career-based online education opportunities for the millions of
adults in the United States
without high school diplomas. Smart Horizons has full academic
accreditation through the AdvancED Accreditation Commission, the
same commission that represents 27,000 public and private schools
and districts across the U.S. and in 65 countries worldwide.
Walmart associates can learn more at WalmartOne.
About Cengage
Cengage is the education and technology
company built for learners. The company serves the higher
education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training
markets worldwide. Cengage creates learning experiences that build
confidence and momentum toward the future students want. The
company is headquartered in Boston,
MA with an office hub in San
Francisco. Employees reside in nearly 40 countries with
sales in more than 125 countries around the world. Visit us at
http://www.cengage.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps
people around the world save money and live better – anytime and
anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile
devices. Each week, nearly 260 million customers and members visit
our 11,527 stores under 63 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce
websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2016 revenue of
$482 billion, Walmart employs more
than 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a
leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment
opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by
visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at
http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available
at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
Media Contacts:
Kristina
Massari
Cengage
203-965-8694
kristina.massari@cengage.com
Erica Jones
Walmart
1-800-331-0085
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SOURCE Cengage