eLearners.com, a web resource of EducationDynamics, which has successfully connected learners to online education since 1999, announces the Denver launch of a new national program aimed at helping adults kick start their careers through education, entitled “Career Stimulus Package” (www.careerstimulus.com). The comprehensive career education program will offer undereducated, underemployed adults access to online education opportunities, including up to $4 million in full-tuition scholarships, and job shadowing programs at some of America’s most innovative companies. At the center of the campaign is a 40-city RV “Empowerment Tour” offering free career coaching services. The tour starts in Denver, Colorado on June 12, 2009 and concludes in Los Angeles on September 9, 2009. The goal of the Career Stimulus Package and Empowerment Tour is to help Americans improve their lives through higher education and career resources. The Denver Empowerment Tour will begin at 7:00 a.m. on June 12 at Skyline Park at 17th and Arapahoe in downtown Denver, with career coaching sessions, and conclude at 5:00 p.m. At the Denver launch event, a press conference will be held at 10:30 a.m. featuring Lt. Governor Barbara O’Brien. O’Brien will discuss the importance of higher education and Colorado initiatives aimed at improving adult education. “Colorado needs an educated workforce to move forward with the New Energy Economy, a robust aerospace industry, health care and many other growing segments of our economy,” said Colorado’s Lt. Governor Barbara O’Brien. “Colorado is one of the states best poised to rebound and now is a good time for non-traditional students to prepare themselves for the upswing.” Alyssa Ohleyer, a Project Working Mom recipient from Idaho Springs, will also speak at the press conference. Project Working Mom is the previous eLearners.com full-tuition scholarship campaign that received more than 400,000 applications during the eighteen month campaign. You can read Alyssa’s winning essay at http://tinyurl.com/Project-Working-Mom-Recipient. The Career Stimulus Package and Empowerment Tour is the voice designed to help adult Americans overcome the barriers of time, money and confidence in pursuing a college degree. The scholarships provided by the participating schools, and the scholarship funds raised during the tour, is one small but significant step in helping to alleviate the financial burden. By studying online, students can do class work from home, during their lunch hour at work, and at any time of day mitigating the obstacle of time. And through the comprehensive Career Stimulus Package efforts, adults can get the knowledge and information they need to feel confident about returning to school. “Everyone talks about the crisis in education, but nobody is focusing on the root cause —the lack of college educated adults in the U.S.,” explained Terrence Thomas, EVP Marketing Operations for eLearners.com. “Not only is the fact that more than 70% of Americans aged 25 and older not having a bachelor’s degree debilitating to the competitive status of our nation, but it’s adversely affecting future generations as these adults ultimately become parents and we need them to be education role models for America’s children.” The tour’s primary ambassador is Flavia Colgan, a passionate advocate for education over the past decade. She served as the first woman and youngest Chief of Staff in the country for Pennsylvania’s Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll. And, most recently she has appeared as a correspondent and commentator on several national TV networks including CBS, MSNBC and FOX. "While the Career Stimulus Package and Empowerment Tour are a catalyst for discussion and change, they are certainly not enough," said Colgan. "Funding for non-traditional adult education must become an ongoing national priority. Half of the projected job growth in the United States over the next decade will require a college degree. To truly strengthen America's workforce, we need to equip adults to take on these jobs. If we can educate, we can empower and employ. It's the solution to America's current and future economic woes." The components of the Career Stimulus Package include: Full-Tuition Scholarships The Career Stimulus Package campaign will award full-tuition scholarships to adults who have applied through www.careerstimulus.com. The scholarships will let deserving adults attend an accredited online college or university tuition free. The total value of these scholarships, which range from the associate’s level to the Ph.D. level, is about $4 million. Participating schools providing the scholarships include: American Public University, Ashworth College, Bryant & Stratton College, Capella University, Ellis University, Everest University, Virginia College, and Western Governors University. To apply for a scholarship, applicants must submit a short application and essay describing their goals, why they want to go back to school and past instances of triumph over adversity. The participating schools will select the recipients. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is October 31. Job Shadowing The individuals selected to receive scholarships will also receive a one-week, paid job shadowing opportunity with one of the Career Stimulus Package participating companies, including: CareerBuilder.com, Dictionary.com, ZipRealty, Entrepreneur Magazine, eLance, EducationDynamics, Habitat for Humanity, spud! and Orbitek, LLC. This job shadowing opportunity will provide scholarship recipients the chance to learn more about the industries they have interest in and will also provide the opportunity to network with professionals. The Tour The “Empowerment Tour: Educate. Empower. Employ.” Will travel to approximately 40 cities across the country by RV. The tour will launch in Denver on June 12 and conclude in Los Angeles on September 9. The tour will offer free career laser coaching sessions to help Americans discover what is holding them back and the strategies needed to move toward success. The two participating career coaches are Denver residents. Michael Cushman is the immediate-past president of the Denver Coach Federation and Ayn Fox is a certified Master Coach by the International Coach Federation. Both Cushman and Fox will be available from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at each tour stop. Reservations are being accepted online for Michael Cushman at www.empowermenttour.com; reservations for Ayn Fox will be accepted on location. In addition to free career coaching sessions, each Empowerment Tour stop will feature an Education Station where people can apply for a full-tuition scholarship. The Empowerment Tour will also include Donation Stations at each stop where people can donate old suits and other interview appropriate attire. Each tour stop will also include complimentary snacks and drinks throughout the day. For more information on the Career Stimulus Package, The Empowerment Tour and the full-tuition scholarships and job shadowing opportunities, visit www.careerstimulus.com. For additional information on the Empowerment Tour, including dates and locations go to www.empowermenttour.com.
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Posted by Erik Keith on January 12, 2009 at 11:16am
Ann Marie always yearned for a college degree, but she had to put her dream on hold. She is a 25-year-old mother who works to support her two-year-old and seven-year-old step-daughter, while their dad has been deployed overseas. And in addition to caring for her own family, she also serves as power of attorney for her best friend’s young daughter while both parents serve in Iraq.“With my former husband being deployed on and off over the past two years, I’ve had to double up and be Mommy and Daddy all alone. School couldn’t be a factor when I was alone to raise my family,” said Ann Marie in her Project Working Mom essay.However, Ann Marie’s greatest wish was granted when she recently applied for, and won, a Project Working Mom scholarship to attend an online college for free. Although she currently works at a retail store as a part-time manager, she longs for a steady career, especially with today’s economic woes. Without a college degree, Ann Marie fears she is being passed over for positions for which she would otherwise be qualified; she fears she is simply not competitive in the job market.Thanks to the Project Working Mom scholarship, Ann Marie will now get her degree in accounting from Everest University at no cost to her. Online classes grant her the flexibility to attend school from home at any time of day, which frees her from childcare worries. She is home for her children when they need her, and she is now serving as a role model for her children.“My goal is to do my best so that my daughter can see that if Mommy can do well in school, so can she,” continued Ann Marie.Ann Marie’s story represents just one of 93 Project Working Mom scholarship recipient stories from across the country. Each recipient is a powerful example of sacrifice and determination as women seek to provide a better life for themselves and their children through education.Following two successful Project Working Mom outreach campaigns that awarded more than $4 million in scholarships to nearly 100 recipients, Project Working Mom rolled out a third campaign on January 8, 2009, which will wrap up on April 30, 2009. This round of the program introduced a new twist: Fathers are now eligible to win a scholarship, a request logged quite frequently during the previous campaigns. The participating schools for Project Working Mom…and Dads, Too! are Ashford University, Capella University, Everest University, Virginia College, and Ashworth College.“We launched Project Working Mom as a response to staggering statistics indicating that working moms are an underserved population that simply need to overcome the obstacles of time, money and confidence to achieve the education they need to improve their lives,” said Helen MacDermott, content director for Project Working Mom. “But in today’s economy, we realize there are plenty of dads who are also in desperate need of financial aid and deserve a chance to tell their stories, too.”According to the U.S. Census Bureau, of the 2.1 million single dads in the United States only 16 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Although the total number of single moms in the United States is much larger, the percentage of moms with a bachelor’s degree is about the same; only 15 percent of single moms have a bachelor’s degree or higher.According to the federal government, the number of students applying for student aid is soaring. In the first six months of 2008, the total number of Free Applications for Federal Student Aid submitted was about 1.3 million more than the same period in 2007. Project Working Mom has also witnessed this tremendous demand for financial aid. The first two campaigns in 2008 generated more than 120,000 applications for a full-ride online college scholarship.eLearners.com, an online education resource that connects learners with online education, which created the Project Working Mom campaigns, also created a complementary, interactive, and in-depth web site to help learners tackle their questions and fears about returning to school. The site is designed to empower working parents and it offers: advice on going back to school; self-assessment quizzes on numerous subjects, including how to determine what subjects to study; an online support community; numerous articles; and a database with $15 billion in financial aid opportunities.Project Working Mom…and Dads, Too! helps to remove the barriers many people face when deciding whether to go back to school, including the hurdles of money, time, and confidence. The scholarships provided by the participating schools allow the recipients to go back to school at no cost, eliminating the huge financial aid burden. By studying online, students can do classwork from home, during their lunch hour at work, and at any time of day. The flexibility of online classes fits perfectly with the lives of busy parents. And through the comprehensive Project Working Mom web site, working parents can get the knowledge they need to feel confident about returning to school.“I don't have a lot of family members that have gone to school and certainly none that have received scholarships. To my family and me, this is better than winning the lottery,” continued Ann Marie. “This is my time to finish all the way to the end.”Moms and dads, to learn more about Project Working Mom…and Dads, Too! and to apply for a full-ride, online education scholarship visit www.ProjectWorkingMom.com.
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