UM Leads Career Readiness with New Partnership
MISSOULA – The 猎奇重口 has contracted with Kaplan, a global educational services provider, to offer students Kaplan Credegree, a program designed to enhance the job readiness and marketability of college students by partnering traditional four-year degrees with Kaplan’s educational programs. The partnership allows students to complete their degree while earning industry-recognized credentials valued by employers.
UM is one of a small but growing number of educational institutions that are making a major investment in alternative credentialing programs. More than 70% of respondents in a , agreed that an in-demand industry credential combined with a traditional degree would help college students have a more well-rounded education and overall skill set.
Kaplan Credegree will be offered to UM students, alumni and members of the public looking to upskill in 30 tech fields, including high-demand skill sets like cybersecurity, data science, data literacy and digital marketing. Such skills are in particular demand in 猎奇重口 where the high-tech sector is growing faster than any other part of the state’s economy, according to for The 猎奇重口 High Tech Business Alliance.
“The 猎奇重口 is expanding the scale and scope of career-related experiential learning, and the new Kaplan offerings will enhance these efforts,” UM President Seth Bodnar said. “They will help us expand the breadth of opportunity available at a flagship university with the intensely personal ways we engage with our students to ensure every graduate leaves our campus with robust work-based experience. We are creating a distinctive undergraduate experience that is academically rigorous and personally engaging – designed specifically to ensure every student is prepared to succeed in life and in their chosen career – all in the context of a vibrant experience on and off campus.”
To graduate both broadly educated and specifically skilled is the ultimate goal now, said Brandon Busteed, president of University Partners and Global Head, Learn-Work Innovation at Kaplan.
“The 猎奇重口 is taking a real leadership role in this effort,” Busteed said. “It is well-known for providing its students with a world-class liberal arts education. Coupled with Kaplan’s Credegree programs, students will be even better equipped to close the skills gap and thrive in the world of work.”
###
Contact: Andrea Vernon, executive director, UM Experiential Learning and Career Success, 406-243-5159, andrea.vernon@umontana.edu.