HOBOKEN, N.J. — pearson forks Connections Academythe fully online public school program serving K-12 students for more than 20 years, today announced its partnership with The Home Depot’s path to professionalism program to introduce high school students to careers in the business industry. Through the partnership, Connections Academy will connect high school students, their families and recent graduates with The Home Depot’s Path to Pro program. The initiative includes the Path to Pro Skills program, which offers on-demand courses designed to prepare participants for six career paths, including electrical, drywall, painting, plumbing, HVAC and general construction.
Interested students explore free programs developed by experts in the construction profession. Once eligible, they can create a free profile on Path to Pro Network to showcase their skills, upload a resume, apply to more than 2,500 jobs, and connect with millions of Home Depot Pro customers looking for qualified workers.
These professional contractors are part of the US construction industry, which annually must fill almost three quarters of a million jobs due to retirements, job changes and other forms of turnover, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In less than a decade, this sector is projected to grow by another 250,000 jobs that typically pay family-sustaining wages.
To help build the next generation of trade professionals to fill this gap with qualified talent, Connections Academy and The Home Depot’s Path to Pro program:
- Introduce students to countless rewarding careers in the trades;
- Provide the valuable training and education they need to pursue these careers; and
- Connect them with trade professionals looking to hire entry-level talent.
The partnership is the first of its kind with an apprenticeship for The Home Depot and the first partnership with a corporate employer in the recently announced Connections Academy program. Expanded list of college and career readiness offerings. for middle and high school students. The initiatives offer an innovative new three-credit approach where courses can provide high school credit, industry-recognized microcredentials, and college credit eligibility for more than 150 U.S. degree programs.
“At Pearson’s Connections Academy, we want to meet our students where they are, whether they want to attend university or immediately enter the workforce, as an increasing number have told us they would like to follow alternative paths and more direct routes to employment after high school,” said Pearson Virtual Schools Vice President of Careers Casey Welch. “The Home Depot Path to Pro program is a great fit because it’s about providing high school students with early pathways to training and education in rewarding fields. And the connections and relationship-building in the industry will be a win for those looking to enter the job market, not to mention the many professional contractors who need to find a new generation of talent.”
To date, The Home Depot has enrolled nearly 9,000 people in the Path to Pro Skills program and more than 13,800 in the Path to Pro Network. Connections Academy will share Path to Pro with 4,000 students and families this school year with plans to expand to Connections Academy schools nationwide in the future.
About Pearson
At Pearson, our purpose is simple: add life to a lifetime of learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is an opportunity for personal advancement. That’s why our 20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant, enriching learning experiences designed to have real-life impact. We are the world’s leading learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, ratings and data. For us, learning is not just what we do. That is what we are. visit us in pearsonplc.com.
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