AARP’s
Life Reimagined has teamed up with Kaplan
to create an important new online resource to help Americans find
learning opportunities to enhance their current skills, realize their
career aspirations, support life changes such as encore or second
careers and build a better, more meaningful life.
Today, as part of the partnership, the two organizations unveiled LearningAdvisor,
a suite of online resources and learning opportunities designed to help
users address continuous learning issues that many Americans are facing
as they explore and discover encore careers. The announcement was made
at AARP’s
Life@50+ National Event & Expo in Boston.
“Americans are living longer and juggling more competing
responsibilities than ever before. That reality is especially true for
trailing-edge Baby Boomers and members of Generation X approaching 50
who are often caring for their own parents as well as their own children
while trying to manage, plan for and enjoy their careers and lives on
their own terms,” said Emilio Pardo, AARP Executive Vice President and
President of Life Reimagined. “At the same time, they’re also excited by
‘what’s next’ and see lifelong learning and ongoing education as being
incredibly important and powerful as they reimagine their lives.”
According to a MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures Report, as many
as nine million people aged 44-70 have made major career changes after
reaching 40, noted Pardo, which account for nearly nine percent of all
Americans of that age in 2011 when the data was calculated. This large
segment of the population either made major career changes or returned
from retirement to work in a range of social purpose fields. Another 31
million of that age group were reportedly interested in finding encore
careers.
“Now more than ever, tens of millions of Americans in their 40’s, 50’s
and 60’s are looking for purpose and passion as they explore encore
careers. One-in-four are especially interested in starting a business or
nonprofit venture. Many are also part of the 37 million Americans who
have some college experience, including college credit, but don’t have a
college degree. They are re-assessing, re-directing and re-claiming
their lives, and returning to education to finish what they started to
make their ‘Life Reimagined’ a reality,” said Sophie Vlessing, Senior
Vice President for Strategy and Innovation at Kaplan Higher Education
Group. “These individuals are also looking for help finding new
opportunities where experience is valued and respected,” added Vlessing.
Introducing LearningAdvisor
Created by Kaplan in collaboration with Life Reimagined, LearningAdvisor
provides a valuable resource with a variety of free and paid offerings
to help people advance their careers, gain insights and explore
possibilities.
LearningAdvisor features an easy-to-use database of open online learning
opportunities from a variety of universities and publishers that is
fully searchable. Users can search using keywords, subjects, publisher,
school, rating and ACE accreditation status.
The site also features unique offerings from Kaplan University, such as
Documenting your Experiences for College Credit. This course provides
context for learners to create an experiential learning portfolio in
which knowledge acquired through work, volunteer and other life
experiences is evaluated for college level credit. In addition, learning
opportunities include Kaplan University degree, certificate and
continuing education programs in high growth areas such as nursing,
health care, business and information technology.
LearningAdvisor also includes original content on career pathing, online
learning, scholarships and individual student success stories.
LearningAdvisor has been integrated into the Life Reimagined and AARP
website experience. A Learn tab has been added to the Life Reimagined
site. AARP.org also links to LearningAdvisor on the homepage as part of
Learning Resources.
“For seven decades and counting, AARP has been serving the interests of
older Americans. No other organization understands the issues and their
members’ evolving needs better. For decades, Kaplan has been delivering
a highly personalized learning experience to students, many of whom are
adult learners pursuing higher education to improve their lives. We’re
absolutely delighted to be innovating and partnering with AARP’s Life
Reimagined to further serve the needs of a segment of Americans we are
passionate about helping,” said Gregory Marino, CEO of Kaplan Higher
Education.
A video demonstration of LearningAdvisor is available at http://bit.ly/learningadvisor
50/50/50 Grant To Be Awarded to Kaplan
University
To celebrate today’s announcement, Kaplan University also announced that
it will award up to 50 grants to applicants 50 years or older. The
special 50/50/50 grants will cover 50 percent of tuition for individuals
who enroll through LearningAdvisor.com to pursue a Kaplan University
degree or credit bearing certificate program. More information about the
grants can be found at learningadvisor.com/grants
Founding Learning Partner for Life Reimagined
Life Reimagined and Kaplan also announced a partnership whereby they
will work together on ongoing research into the challenges and solutions
confronting aging Americans and the transformative role lifelong
learning can play.
About Life Reimagined
Launched by AARP in 2013, Life Reimagined is a first-of-its-kind single
source of online and offline experiences that guide people through life
transitions by helping them discover new possibilities and connect with
a community of people pursuing similar passions and goals. The purpose
of Life Reimagined is to provide a guidance system to help people
navigate transitions and live to their fullest. The Life Reimagined
online tool centers on an exclusive, customizable roadmap available at www.lifereimagined.org
that helps people understand where they are in their journey to achieve
their goals and dreams, reflect, and make decisions in planning their
next steps. Life Reimagined is powered by the Life Reimagined Institute
for Innovation, a world-class group of thought leaders in the areas of
life and career coaching, psychology, personal development, health and
entrepreneurship.
About Kaplan
Kaplan, Inc. is a leading international provider of educational and
career services for individuals, schools, and businesses. Kaplan serves
students of all ages through a wide array of offerings including higher
education, test preparation, professional training, and programs for
kids in grades K through 12. Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings
Company (NYSE: GHC) and its largest division. For more information,
please visit www.kaplan.com.
Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for higher
education. It strives to help adult students unlock their talent by
providing a practical, student-centered education that prepares them for
careers in some of the fastest-growing industries. The University, which
has its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, and its headquarters in Chicago,
is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (www.ncahlc.org)
and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and
Schools. Kaplan University serves approximately 43,000 online and
campus-based students. The University has 11 campuses in Iowa, Nebraska,
Maryland and Maine, and Kaplan University Learning Centers
in Maryland, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Missouri. Kaplan University is part
of Kaplan Higher Education Group and Kaplan, Inc.
Copyright Business Wire 2014