WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, BOSTON, and DAVOS-KLOSTERS, Switzerland, Jan. 22,
2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Seeking to increase awareness of
the need to improve education systems around the world, members of
the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Education &
Skills, including Harvard School of Public
Health (HSPH) Professor David E.
Bloom, Mercer Regional President – North America, Pat
Milligan, and 2U, Inc. CEO Chip
Paucek, have prepared a forward thinking book, "Education
& Skills 2.0: New Targets & Innovative Approaches,"
that examines the challenges and opportunities related to education
and skill development with an emphasis on actions and
outcomes.
"The world can do a much better job of equipping people of all
ages with the skills needed to satisfy tomorrow's needs, not
yesterday's," said Bloom, Clarence James Gamble Professor of
Economics and Demography at HSPH and Chairman of the Global Agenda
Council on Education & Skills. "This book sets forth concrete
ideas for education-and skill-based solutions to problems like
poverty, illiteracy, and inequity, which impinge so heavily,
widely, and needlessly on human progress. It opens our minds to the
transformative potential of a judicious blend of financial muscle,
political will, common sense, and new thinking, institutions, and
technology."
Paucek co-authored the chapter entitled "Online Education:
From Novelty to Necessity," focusing on the potential for
educational technology to transform the learning experience in the
classroom and influence global educational policy in the years to
come. "Online education can be a critical tool to drive educational
outcomes and we are hopeful these ideas will stimulate real action
towards leveraging the power of online education to drive
improvements in the educational experiences of people
worldwide."
"The book showcases practical and scalable solutions that
address issues such as youth employment, education for girls, and
reskilling mature talent," said Milligan. Her chapter "Older and
Wiser: Tapping the Full Potential of the Mature Workforce,"
focuses on harnessing the power of collaboration between the
public, private sector, and academia to bridge skills gaps with
underutilized population segments.
The book is now widely available in a variety of formats:
- An iPhone/iPad app (first of its kind for any publication from
the Global Agenda Councils, developed by 2U)
- Fully readable on 2U Inc.'s website
- A downloadable PDF
Also 2U Inc.'s University partners created visual images
highlighting content from a few key chapters:
- Big Data & Higher Education by datascience@berkeley
- Girls' Education: The 2013 Report Card by Teach.com
- Helping to Increase Literacy Across the World by Teach.com
- Human Capital Index by International Relations Online at
American University
- Tapping the Full Potential of the Aging Workforce by MBA@UNC
and Mercer
Readers are encouraged to follow the World Economic Forum on
Twitter @davos, and to tweet their reactions to the book using
#WEFedu. For more information on the Global Agenda Council on
Education & Skills, please visit their website.
About the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on
Education & Skills:
The Global Agenda Council on
Education & Skills has identified the need to zero in on the
most optimal way of bringing together experts to help leaders take
the education and skills agenda to the next level by raising global
awareness on the need to improve education systems in order to spur
productivity, innovation, job creation and, ultimately, economic
growth.
About 2U, Inc.: 2U exists to transform the way
leading colleges and universities deliver higher education to
qualified students anywhere. Founded in 2008 by a team of
education and technology veterans, our innovative online
learning platform and bundled technology-enabled services provide
the comprehensive operating infrastructure colleges and
universities need to attract, enroll, educate, support and graduate
their students. 2U's partner programs are designed to deliver
positive student outcomes, not only in educational achievement but
in student satisfaction, graduation rates and other measures of
success. For more information about 2U please visit
http://www.2u.com. You can follow 2U on Twitter,
at @2Uinc.
About Mercer:
Mercer is a global consulting leader in talent, health, retirement,
and investments. Mercer helps clients around the world advance the
health, wealth, and performance of their most vital asset – their
people. Mercer's more than 20,000 employees are based in 42
countries, and the firm operates in over 140 countries. Mercer is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:
MMC), a global team of professional services companies
offering clients advice and solutions in the areas of risk,
strategy, and human capital. With over 53,000 employees worldwide
and annual revenue exceeding $11
billion, Marsh & McLennan Companies is also the parent
company of Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and risk
management; Guy Carpenter, a global leader in providing risk and
reinsurance intermediary services; and Oliver Wyman, a global
leader in management consulting. For more information, visit
www.mercer.com. Follow Mercer on Twitter @MercerInsights.
About Harvard School of Public
Health: Harvard School of Public
Health brings together dedicated experts from many
disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and
produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people
everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and
students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the
laboratory and the classroom to people's lives—not only making
scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual
behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year,
more than 400 faculty members at HSPH teach 1,000-plus full-time
students from around the world and train thousands more through
online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the
Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as
America's first professional training program in public health.
Media Contacts:
2U: Chance Patterson,
cpatterson@2U.com, (202-262-5213)
Mercer: Stacy Bronstein
215 982 8025; Stacy.Bronstein@mercer.com (USA) or Alistair
Peck +1 44 20 7178 3143; Alistair.Peck@mercer.com (UK)
HSPH: Marge Dwyer 617 432 8416;
mhdwyer@hsph.harvard.edu
SOURCE 2U, Inc.