edX, a leading global online learning platform from 2U, together with Jobs for the Future (JFF) and with funding from The Charles Koch Foundation, have joined hands to launch the edX MicroBachelors® Program Pathway Initiative: an initiative to connect adults who aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree with MicroBachelors programs on edX at no cost. Learners will also be able to interview at companies seeking qualified candidates for roles that don’t require a traditional two or four-year degree.
The program will be open to anyone without a bachelor’s degree who wants to train for an entry or mid-level role that requires fundamental tech or business skills. Qualified learners will be able to apply for the following MicroBachelors programs:
- Statistics Fundamentals and Mathematics and Statistics Fundamentals from The London School of Economics
- Marketing Essentials and Business and Professional Communication for Success from Doane University
- Full Stack Application Development from IBM.
Speaking about the initiative, Founder of edX & Chief Platform Officer of 2U, Anant Agarwal, said:
Through the edX MicroBachelors Program Pathway Initiative, we’re working to level the playing field, empowering adults without traditional degrees to build relevant, marketable skills. By working with JFF and the Charles Koch Foundation, we are taking another significant step toward bridging the skills gap and democratizing access to high-quality education for all.
Launched in 2020, edX’s MicroBachelors programs are credit-backed, open-admission credential programs designed for adult learners without a traditional four-year degree. Leading companies and nonprofit universities worldwide offer these rigorous, career-focused programs in partnership with edX. They are designed for anyone looking to gain industry-relevant skills in high-demand and emerging industries. MicroBachelors program certificates come with transferable college credit from one of edX’s university credit partners for learners who want to pace their studies. Those who complete a MicroBachelors program can immediately use it as a standalone credential on resumes and LinkedIn pages and eventually apply the academic credit toward a full degree with the school of their choice.
Jobs for the Future (JFF) is a national nonprofit that drives the transformation of the US education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. The platform will support the initiative by sourcing and evaluating candidates for the program. Its long history of advocating for policies and systems that promote equal opportunity for economic advancement will help ensure the initiative’s success and lasting impact on hundreds of learners over the next three years. JFF forges deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s possible.
Adding to the collaboration, Rusty Greiff, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer of Jobs for the Future said:
In partnership with edX and the Charles Koch Foundation, we’re transforming higher education and work. Programs like the edX MicroBachelors Program Pathway Initiative are one step toward creating sustainable pathways to prosperity for people facing systemic barriers to advancement, including the over 40 million with some credit and no degree, often overlooked by traditional hiring systems.
The Charles Koch Foundation is supporting the initiative in two key ways: first, the Foundation will fund the cost of the MicroBachelors programs for 500 learners over three years; and second, the Foundation will provide resources to JFF to develop a longitudinal efficacy study to measure the efficacy and efficiency of using MicroBachelors program credentials as criteria for recruitment.
The organization has partnered with social entrepreneurs to remove the barriers that prevent people from reaching their potential. It does this by supporting innovations in postsecondary education that allow all learners to discover, develop, and deploy their unique aptitudes and gifts to benefit themselves and others. CKF also supports best-in-class research exploring the critical issues of society, such as immigration, criminal justice, and economic progress.
Ryan Stowers, the Executive Director of the Charles Koch Foundation, commented:
Innovation in the higher learning space provides tremendous value for learners, employers, and academia. We are very excited about our partnership with Jobs For the Future and their work with edX to develop and launch this MicroBachelors program. This program will help prepare students for fulfilling careers faster, giving employers access to a more motivated and better-matched workforce.
The edX MicroBachelors Program Pathway Initiative is part of edX for Impact – a collective effort to help marginalized learners get the education they need to develop the skills to pursue rewarding careers. edX for Impact programs are typically funded by corporate, Foundation, local, state, and government partners and are accessible to learners. This work includes Access Partnerships, a workforce development model that brings together nonprofit universities, companies, governments, and local workforce development agencies to create accessible or substantially cost-reduced pathways to job-relevant tech skills for women, people of colour, lower-income professionals, and other identified groups who the traditional education system has historically underserved. To date, the company has launched 18 Access Partnerships.
edX was developed in 2012 by Harvard and MIT to make the world’s best education available. The company connects over 76 million people with online learning to meet every professional moment. With top-ranked universities and organizations at the forefront of their fields, the platform offers thousands of job-relevant programs across nearly every career discipline, from artificial intelligence and robotics to sustainability and public health.
