Free Online Career Development Course Now Available to 16 Million Students Nationwide
assistance from Microsoft Corp.’s U.S. Partners in Learning, students across
the nation now have access to CareerForward, a powerful, free online course
covering globalization, career planning, financial literacy and
entrepreneurship. CareerForward empowers students at any grade level in middle
and high school to take charge of their own education, career path and future
prosperity. Global education leaders from more than 30 nations are learning
how to implement this program in their home countries this week at the School
of the Future World Summit in
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Increasingly, multinational corporations are seeking young people who
possess a global perspective and an appreciation that their academic
preparation is vital to their future. Students who take the new online
CareerForward course will better understand the crucial importance of their
education and have the ability to improve their motivation and choices in high
school and college. Students, parents and teachers can access the course at
http://review.careerforward.org/careerforward.
“This course will help students understand how to thrive in a global
economy,” said
to learn online — something they’ll need to do throughout their work lives.”
practice according to The Center for Digital Education. CareerForward first
launched in
nation to require online learning as a requirement for high school education.
This year alone, 18,000
“Students and the career choices they make are critical to the talent
pipeline and future business prosperity in the U.S.,” said
general manager of U.S. Public Sector Education at Microsoft. “CareerForward
encourages the development of a skilled work force, as it helps young citizens
explore global opportunities and recognize the importance of technology in
jobs of the future.”
CareerForward is a media-rich online learning program, developed through a
unique public-private partnership between the Michigan Department of
Education, Michigan Virtual University and Microsoft. The program helps
students wrestle with some of the burning questions about their futures: What
am I going to do with my life? What is the world of work like? What will I
need to succeed? What’s next for me? Using a variety of multimedia, course
topics explore these questions and more. Throughout the course, students are
asked frequently to reflect on what they’re learning, to write their thoughts
down as a continual refinement of their thinking, and to discuss their
thoughts with other students, either in-person or online.
Students can work with local educators to access the online course, which
takes about four to six weeks or approximately 20 hours to complete. The
course is designed to be facilitated by a local teacher and can be used
independently or as part of an existing face-to-face course in career
planning, business or global studies.
“This course helps students realize the crucial importance of education to
their future,” said
Instruction. “By integrating technology into every student’s education, this
allows them to experience their education outside of the classroom — in the
world of technology. It helps bring relevance to their learning.”
“We are excited about the national launch of CareerForward,” said
Fitzpatrick
course is something that every parent in the country will want their son or
daughter to experience.”
Further information on CareerForward is available at
http://review.careerforward.org/careerforward. More information about Michigan
Virtual University is available at http://www.mivu.org. More information about
Microsoft U.S. Partners in Learning is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/education/pilus.mspx.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.