Dive Brief:
- Postsecondary education services provider Bridgepoint Education Inc. acquired technology bootcamp Fullstack Academy to provide learners with even more access to learning in the tech field. The partnership was announced to help both companies enhance their "skills-to-employment" offerings.
- Fullstack will continue to operate as itself, and its partnership with Bridgepoint will allow it to expand on its programs, like its immersive web development course for women, which allows graduates to pay tuition only after finding employment, according to a news release.
- The consolidation will also allow Fullstack to expand its partnerships with universities and government agencies. Currently, they work with several government agencies in New York to provide web development classes and grow a workforce of cybersecurity professionals.
Dive Insight:
More and more, businesses, learning institutions, non-profits and government agencies are joining forces to provide a wider array of learning offerings to a larger learning audience. With such alliances — such as the training partnerships between Pennsylvania schools and local businesses — the focus is on increasing skill-sets overall. For others the content is specifically targeted at technology as the digital transformation quickly changes the way we work.
Businesses are looking to training initiatives to help their employees adapt to new technology; an approach of continuous learning has become the new norm. While access to more training helps upskill employees, businesses will reap the benefits in increased engagement as well, research shows. For remote or deskless employees, training through technology puts learning top of mind: these staff members have been hungry for knowledge, but limited by their lack of access. Worried they lack the technical skills to survive a digital future, these workers want and need knowledge and feedback.
