SYDNEY It's one thing to start a company. It's quite another to start one that competes with tech titans like Microsoft and Adobe.

But that's exactly what Australian entrepreneur Melanie Perkins did when she built a design product to rival the tech giants.

"Our goal was to take the entire design ecosystem, integrate it into one page, and then make it accessible to the whole world," said Perkins.

Perkins is the 32-year-old co-founder and CEO of Canva, a free-to-use, online design platform.

The young founder started the company in Australia in 2013 in a bid to make design accessible to all be it for logos, business cards or presentations. Within five years, she made headlines as one of tech's youngest female CEOs, at just 30.

Two years on, the Sydney-headquartered company is now worth $3.2 billion, giving Perkins and her co-founder and now- fiance, Cliff Obrecht, an estimated personal fortune of $900 million. And to think, it all started with a high school yearbook business.

Canva for Enterprise

Canva

Perkins was just 19 when she was first struck by the idea. It was 2006 and she and Obrecht were studying at university in Perth.

The teen would earn a little income on the side by teaching other students design programs. But students found the platforms offered by the likes of Microsoft and Adobe "crazy hard" and she felt there must be a better way.

"People would have to spend an entire semester learning where the buttons were, and that seemed completely ridiculous," Perkins told CNBC Make It. "I thought that in the future it was all going to be online and collaborative and much, much simpler than these really hard tools."

So she and Obrecht set to work making that vision a reality.

With few resources and little business experience behind them, the couple started small and created an online school yearbook design business, Fusion Books, to test out their idea.

They launched a website for students to "collaborate and design their profile pages and articles." The pair would then print the yearbooks and deliver them to schools across Australia.

Melanie Perkins and her boyfriend Cliff Obrecht in Perkins' mother's living room in Perth, Australia in 2010.

Canva

"My mum's living room became my office, and my boyfriend became my business partner, and we started enabling schools to create their yearbooks really, really simply," explained Perkins.

The business was a success, and remains active today. But for Perkins, it was just the first step in what she called her "crazy, big dream" for a one-stop-shop design site so she began chasing investors.

A few years later in 2010, while at a conference in Perth, Perkins received her first big break.

A chance encounter with Silicon Valley investor Bill Tai saw him invite Perkins to San Francisco to pitch her idea. Just hours later, the legendary venture capitalist, clearly impressed, was connecting her with his contacts.

"I thought that he didn't really like what I had to say. He was on his phone, and I thought that meant he wasn't really engaged in what I had to say about the future of publishing," Perkins recalled.

"But then I got home and realized that he was actually introducing me to a few people."

Building new relationships with Silicon Valley was far from plain sailing, Perkins soon discovered.

Tai, an avid kitesurfer, was keen for Perkins and Obrecht to get networking at MaiTai, his unique retreat for investors and kitesurfing enthusiasts. So she had to pick up the sport fast!

"Every time he (Tai) would say how was my business going, he'd also be like 'how's your kitesurfing going?'" Perkins recalled.

"I had not done it before and, to be honest, it's not something that I would normally, naturally try," she said.

"But yeah, decided to give it a go because when you don't have any connections, you don't have any network, you just kind of have to wedge your foot in the door and wiggle it all the way through."

Canva co-founders Cliff Obrecht, Melanie Perkins and Cameron Adams.

Canva

The new skill served her well. Before long, the young couple was winning over major investors and building out Canva's design platform with a fast-growing team of tech engineers.

But it was in 2012 that the business began in earnest. With the help of their tech advisor and the co-founder of Google Maps, Lars Rasmussen, Perkins and Obrecht found a tech co-founder in Cameron Adams and a tech developer in Dave Hearnden.

Months later, at the close of their first funding round, the company was oversubscribed. That initial $1.5 million investment was even matched by the Australian government in a bid to keep the company on Aussie shores.

The following year, the site went live, allowing subscribers to create a variety of online designs for free.

Today, Canva has helped create close to 2 billion designs in 190 countries and won celebrity backing from the likes of Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson.

In October 2019, an $85 million funding round led by Silicon Valley investor Mary Meeker gave the company a valuation of $3.2 billion.

Perkins said she plans to use the additional funding to expand the team of 700 across Sydney, Beijing and Manila, while also building out the company's paid services, Canva Pro and Canva for Enterprise.

Canva's Sydney office in 2018

Canva

That strategy will bring Perkins the closest she's come yet to competing directly with the professional design tools created by tech giants like Microsoft and Adobe.

But with 85% of Fortune 500 companies already using her platform, the young founder says she's up for the challenge.

"I think I've always put a lot of pressure on myself. And I think that sort of internal locus of control has been pretty strong," said Perkins.

"So while the expectations around our company and what we're expected to do is sort of increasing, that's nothing on what I've got on myself!"

Don't miss: How a Harvard dropout founded South Korea's most valuable start-up

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How a 32-year-old turned a high school yearbook idea into a $3.2 billion business - CNBC

FARMINGTON -- Former Razorback Jeb Huckeba experienced football's biggest stage, yet reveals a down-to-earth perspective appreciating the accomplishment for a small town constructing a $16 million facility.

Huckeba was on the roster when the Seattle Seahawks earned a trip to Super Bowl LX. The Enterprise-Leader caught up with him touring Farmington Sports Complex and Cardinal Stadium Aug. 15 during an open house.

"My brother actually lives in Farmington. We live close in Fayetteville and we came out tonight just to check out the new facilities here. Beautiful new stadium, football field and indoor facility along with weight room and plenty of locker rooms," Huckeba said.

Having played in the SEC and NFL, Huckeba recognizes an environment conducive to gridiron success.

"I know from walking around and even getting to be a part of 'Fields of Faith' last year (in October, 2018) at the old football field (Allen Holland Field) and now seeing this, I know that the Lord is going to use this, these facilities here," Huckeba said.

Huckeba shared his personal testimony during a Fellowship of Christian Athletes event hosted by Farmington in October and anticipates the school and athletic program rising to a level of sustained excellence by capitalizing upon the vast array of resources designed to enhance the level of performance.

"The student athletes that get to come through here, the coaches that get to come coach here, and the community of Farmington is really blessed to have this as a place where student-athletes and coaches can come and work hard and give God glory for the success that they're going to have in the future."

Speaking during the Fields of Faith event, Huckeba answered, what for members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, amounts to a rhetorical question.

"In Colossians 3:23 it says, 'Whatever you do, work at it as working for the Lord, not for men. You ask, 'How can I glorify God with my performance in my sport?'"

Huckeba defined an appropriate response as "by showing up for practice every day with a great attitude, a great work ethic. By playing the game with everything you have and then showing great sportsmanship because you're a reflection of Christ even to the other team and also to your teammates."

Huckeba acknowledged life isn't perfect and student-athletes may feel uncomfortable in a certain class or not feel like going to practice. They may feel like the coach doesn't like them or experience issues with a teacher they struggle with.

For Huckeba the key to overcoming that type of adversity is simply a matter of perspective.

"You can still bring God glory every day by living out Colossians 3:23 because it says whatever you do, work at as working for the Lord not for men," Huckeba said.

"We want to please coaches. We want to please teachers. We want to please our parents, but truly you can rest assured that if you're doing your best you are pleasing God and you're a reflection of his glory."

Huckeba pointed out that Farmington High School's capital improvements to its athletic infrastructure reflects well on northwest Arkansas as a whole.

"I know it's really exciting for the community and just for the surrounding communities, as well," Huckeba said.

"I think Farmington has really distinguished themselves as a desirable place to be. You can tell there's a lot of excitement and it's really neat to get to see this happening."

Print Headline: Huckeba: Success Is In The Cards

See the original post here:
Huckeba: Success Is In The Cards - NWAOnline

UROLOGIST Peter Duffy wentfrom personal and professional devastation to runaway success as an author in 2019.

At the beginning of 2019, it appeared the surgeons story - a winding saga that saw him lurch from being voted Furness General Hospitals Doctor of the Year to finding himself apariah within the NHS - had largely drawn to a close.

Months before, an employment tribunal found that he had been unfairly dismissed by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), seeming to conclude a long and bitter dispute - one which, besides uprooting him from his family,had threatened to crush the medicfinancially and psychologically.

Yet the publication of a book chronicling his experiences as a whistleblower and lifting the lid on alleged failings in UHMBTs urology services stretching back over a decade propelled him back into the headlines lastsummer.

This, alongwith the failings pointed to in the book, has all been documented thanks to an extensive Mail investigation by Chief Reporter Amy Fenton.

Having left family and friends and relocated to the Isle of Man in order to continue practising, Mr Duffy explains that most of what would become Whistle in the Wind was written on the Ben-my-Chree ferry, a three-and-a-half hour crossing back to Lancaster and his family.

Id just get out my laptop and tap out another half a chapter or so, he says. Around three months later he already had the bare bones of a draft.

By April time the book was more or less finished and just needed some proofreading as well as a legal opinion to make sure I didnt leave myself wide open to any defamation claims. And then it was just a question of getting it formatted to go up onto Amazon."

UHMBT finally called an external review into its urology services last year, after the books revelations saw dozens of affected patients come forward to The Mail alleging appalling and, in some cases, fatal care.

The book has continued to resonate with readers within and beyond the Furness area, with the title chalking up some 8,000 sales since publication numbers that Mr Duffy says have gone beyond his "wildest expectations."

I remember thinking, If it sells more than 1,000 copies in its entire lifetime, that Id be ecstatic. So for it to sell more than 7,500 copies in its first six months wasincredible.

"There was a point when, around the time the frontline staff at Morecambe Bay got wind ofit, the book got as high as number 58 in the Amazon best-selling titles rankings. That was quite a surreal moment."

But he still believes Whistle in the Winds material has some distance left to run.

If it wasnt for the fact that I did manage to get the book out, so much of this wouldve stayed hidden. At the heart of it there are two deaths that I personally feel may tip over into medical manslaughter. Obviously youd need a criminal court to decide on that.

But certainly one case covered inthe book compares almost identically to a similar casewhere the consultant ended up with a custodial sentence.

UHMBTs chief executive, Aaron Cummins, has said: The trust has asked NHS England to carry out an external independent investigation into concerns surrounding the urology service.

I have met with Peter and have assured him of our intention to continue to be open and transparent and we hope Mr Duffys concerns will be addressed within the work of the investigation.

Despite the lip service Mr Duffy says is paid to protecting NHS whistleblowers the 58-year-old surgeon still believes he has not yet seen a meaningful change in the way they are treated.

If this continues to be the case, he hints another book could soon be in the works.

He said: I think its shameful that the NHS just fought me all the way through this, trying to silence me and gag me and threaten me.

Even in the course of the employment tribunal the true facts didnt come out.

Under the current system, the tribunal is not so much interested in the whistleblowing - its interested in destroying the character of the whistleblower.

So, had it not been for the book and for Amy Fentons work, obviously, all of this wouldve been buried and concealed forever.

At least there has been a belated realisation that these are serious issues.

And I think it is good the NHS hasnt managed to cover this one up. Its out there now.

See original here:
"It's out there now": Peter Duffy speaks to The Mail about his year and success as an author - NW Evening Mail

The New York Giants' coaching search was not without drama, but the team made the decision to go with former New England Patriots wide receivers and special teams coach Joe Judge to fill the position. The team was reportedly interested in hiring Baylor coach Matt Rhule, but he agreed to the open spot with the Carolina Panthers before ever meeting with New York.

Two of the other top coaches up for grabs, Ron Rivera and Mike McCarthy, went to the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys.

David Samson sat down on "Nothing Personal with David Samson" to discuss the hiring.

When Rhule informed the Giants he would not be making the trip, Samson says the team questioned what it was going to do and 45 minutes later announced its decision.

Samson emphasizes the importance of looking into a coach's "genes" before hiring them and deciding if they will be not just successful, but a good fit.

He discusses Judge's past, working with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Alabama's Nick Saban, commenting that those are two pretty solid coaches to have on your resume.

Judge has two championship rings from college and three in the NFL, but a history of success is not everything when it comes to the job.

The Giants are in no way the Patriots, as Samson points out, and where he puts the most emphasis is whether someone can gel with the owners, the system and the market, not their previous success.

Samson says this was likely not the Giants' first choice, but in his experience teams have every scenario planned out so they can be ready to make a decision.

There was also one thing that helped Judge secure the job. "Here's what he really has that no one else had," Samson said. "He had the ability to say to the Giants at the perfect time, 'Yes.'"

With everyone else either not coming back for another interview or not coming for an interview at all, that "Yes" held a lot of power.

The rest is here:
What went into the Giants hiring of Joe Judge and what set the former Patriots assistant apart - CBS Sports

For Christine and Marc Steiniger, husband and wife co-owners of The Sweat Box Fitness Studio in Kitchener, their fitness journeys took very different paths.

"I was a long distance runner," says Christine. "People were always asking me to help them learn how to run, so I would teach them. Then I started helping them build exercise programs." Eventually Christine decided to turn her coaching into a business; after completing the required certifications she became a personal trainer and in 2016 started her business Body By Chris.

Marc's journey wasn't as direct. "I spent 20 years in tech," explains Marc. "Think of an active and healthy lifestyle - that wasn't me." By age 40 Marc weighed 250 pounds: he wasn't exercising, was eating poorly, and wasn't managing the stress of his tech job very well. He knew he had to make a change and began exercising, eventually working with a personal trainer and then taking part in group fitness classes. Not only did he begin to lose the excess weight, Marc noticed he felt better about himself. He had more confidence, and was handling his stress better. Eventually Marc decided to become a certified trainer himself. "I was passionate about fitness, and I also saw it as a natural progression so I could help Chris out with her business when she needed it," he says.

Three years later and their fitness paths now connected, the couple decided to open The Sweat Box - a fitness studio offering personal training and group fitness classes.

"Body by Chris was doing well: her success was quite dramatic," says Marc, "but she was a one woman show. She was renting a gym for her personal training business, and we could see she was going to hit a limit where she was."

"I had a 6 month waiting list for clients," Christine says. "I wasn't able to hire anyone in the place I was renting, and I couldn't grow like I wanted to in the space I was in. So Marc and I made a decision to shift from Body by Chris and evolve into The Sweat Box."

They began looking for a location for their new business, and in June 2019 they opened the doors to their studio located at 35 Trillium Drive, Unit 4 in Kitchener. They describe The Sweat Box as a boutique style fitness centre that's not like traditional gyms. Members can book personal and group training sessions to work with their schedules, and there are no contracts. Part of what makes them unique is their focus on form; both Christine and Marc concentrate on teaching technique so that members are training safely. They say The Sweat Box is all about developing general health, strength and cardio capacity in order to make people's day to day living 'amazing'. While the couple works together to grow the business and design the programs, Marc's focus is on group classes and administration, while Christine's is on personal training.

"I love the one-on-one relationship," says Christine, "I like to make people feel good about themselves, and not intimidated about coming into our space. I like group training too, but the relationship is stronger in personal fitness and I love empowering women and men and making them feel good. Our clients have to feel good about themselves - that's what we're really about."

They've built a very committed community of members in a short period of time, and reviews have been overwhelming.

"It makes my heart sing," says Christine. "People who come to The Sweat Box like how we motivate them, and how we drive them. The Google reviews our members have posted make me so thankful. It's like my passion is flowing into them!"

"The best feedback I've received came from a female client in her 40's who told me she was having her snow tires put on and had to put the tires in her car," says Marc. "She grabbed them and put them in, and it was no big deal. It was the first time she didn't have to ask her husband to do it for her."

One thing the duo has learned through their respective journeys is that fitness goals are very personal - they have to be something you want.

"Before he began to work out I was always there for Marc, but getting fit was a decision he had to make on his own," Christine explains. "No matter what, you can't change for anyone else - you need to change for yourself. We say that to our members, we say that to our personal training clients; if you think you're doing this for someone else, you're not going to be as successful. If you're doing this for you, you're making that choice, and that's what's going to make your transition stick."

"And it's not about being perfect and adhering to lofty goals," adds Marc. "It's about doing one thing better today than you did yesterday. All of those little positive changes become cumulative very quickly!"

See the original post:
'Progress, not perfection' - the core philosophy behind The Sweat Box - KitchenerToday.com

When did you last lie?

Yesterday, in bed, hungover.

Does the supernatural exist?

Yes. Im a believer.

Are you fatalistic?

Yes. I think everything happens for a reason.

What is your greatest fear?

Failure. Its part of what has made me work so hard.

Animals or babies?

I have to say animals, they create less mess.

What talent do you yearn for?

Celine [Dion]s voice.

Do you like to be complimented?

No, I dont take them well.

Do you have a high pain threshold?

Yes. I love getting tattooed!

What book do you recommend most to others?

The Power Of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle.

Link:
RuPauls Drag Race UK: The Vivienne reveals the hardest lesson shes ever had to learn - Stylist Magazine

BEIJING, China, Jan. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wah Fu Education Group Limited (Wah Fu or the Company) (WAFU), a provider of online training and exam preparation services, as well as related training materials and technology solutions for both institutions and individuals, today announced that, through its majority owned subsidiary, Nanjing Suyun Education Technology Co., Ltd., the Company entered into a 5-year service agreement (the Agreement) to develop a customized online educational platform for Jiuzhou Polytechnic Vocational College (Jiuzhou Polytechnic), featuring cloud-based online courses related to vocational training required by the Ministry of Education of China, administration and student management services.

Established in 1993 with a total investment of over RMB300 million, Jiuzhou Polytechnic is private higher vocational college with over 400 faculties and staff and over 1,000 students and currently offers 3-year programs in 6 departments and 41 majors. More information about Jiuzhou Polytechnic can be found at http://www.jzp.edu.cn.

Jiuzhou Polytechnic adds to our 100+ and growing number of institutional B2B2C clients, including universities and colleges, said Mr. Yang Yu, Chairman of Wah Fu. We are proud to be a trusted partner of our institutional clients including Jiuzhou Polytechnic, through whom we have been able to develop customized online training and educational solutions that benefit tens of thousands of students every year.

About Wah Fu Education Group Limited

Headquartered in Beijing, China, Wah Fu Education Group Limited provides online training and exam preparation services, as well as related training materials and technology solutions for both institutions, such as universities and training institutions, and students. For more information about Wah Fu, please visit http://www.edu-edu.cn.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as may, will, intend, should, believe, expect, anticipate, project, estimate or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements.Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the growth of the online training industry in China and the other markets the Company serves or plans to serve; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and the other markets the Company serves or plans to serve and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Companys filings with the SEC, which are available for review at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forwardlooking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

For more information, please contact:

At the Company:Email: ashely.ai@horwathcapital.com.cn

Investor Relations:Tony Tian, CFA Weitian Group LLC Email: ttian@weitianco.com Phone: +1-732-910-9692

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Wah Fu Education Group Limited to Develop Online Education Platform for Jiuzhou Polytechnic Vocational College - Yahoo Finance

PUNE, India, Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The private tutoring market is expected to gain significant lift with the evolution of online platform offered by the companies for tutoring services. These platform enhances the educational experience and offers with value added services, including exposure to industry, along with career counselling and development of soft skills. With the introduction of digital platform for private tutoring, innovative and customized solution are being offered to the students with varying needs. The integration of artificial intelligence in the online platform is further driving the growth of global private tutoring market. For instance,TAL Education Group, an education company provides AI teaching system, customized for students, helping preschool and primary school teachers to address issues encountered in learning.In addition, Cognii, offers with AI-powered real-time tutoring for K-12 & higher education allowing students to access anytime, anywhere. As the market evolves in modern AI-age, Cognii brings its innovation to benefit the Higher Ed market from enrollment, retention, student support, course design, assessment & credentialing, to scalability.

Request for Sample Copy of This Report@ https://www.absolutemarketsinsights.com/request_sample.php?id=311

The rapid penetration of smart devices such as mobile phones and tablets and the growing demand for customized learning has led to an increase in emphasis on the digitization of educational services. The companies operating in the global private tutoring market are increasingly offering online tutoring services that can be accessed by students through smartphone devices. Online private tutoring programs involves low cost for the service providers, offering more flexibility as compared to in-person tutoring services. Therefore, the cost benefits and flexibility associated with online private tutoring services is expected to aid in the growth of global private tutoring market over the forecast period.

The detailed research study provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the global private tutoring market. The market has been analyzed from demand as well as the supply side. The demand side analysis covers market revenue across regions and further across all the major countries. The supply-side analysis covers the major market players and their regional and global presence and strategies. The geographical analysis done emphasizes each of the major countries across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America.

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Key Findings of the Report:

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GlobalPrivate Tutoring Market:

For More Information Visit@ https://www.absolutemarketsinsights.com/reports/Private-tutoring-market-2019-2027-311

About Us:

Absolute Markets Insights assists in providing accurate and latest trends related to consumer demand, consumer behavior, sales, and growth opportunities, for the better understanding of the market, thus helping in product designing, featuring, and demanding forecasts. Our experts provide you the end-products that can provide transparency, actionable data, cross-channel deployment program, performance, accurate testing capabilities and the ability to promote ongoing optimization.

From the in-depth analysis and segregation, we serve our clients to fulfill their immediate as well as ongoing research requirements. Minute analysis impact large decisions and thereby the source of business intelligence (BI) plays an important role, which keeps us upgraded with current and upcoming market scenarios.

Contact Us:

Company:Absolute Markets Insights Email id:sales@absolutemarketsinsights.com Phone:+91-740-024-2424 Contact Name:Shreyas Tanna The Work Lab, Model Colony, Shivajinagar, Pune, MH, 411016 Website:https://www.absolutemarketsinsights.com/

SOURCE Absolute Markets Insights

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Global Private Tutoring Market was Estimated to Grow at a CAGR of More Than 7.1% Over the Forecast Period Owing to Growing Prevalence of Online...

BEIJING, Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) ("CDEL", or the "Company"), a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China, today announced its participation in the 22nd Annual Needham Growth Conference on January 14-15, 2020 at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City, with a management presentation at 8:40 a.m. Eastern time on January 15th. The presentation will be webcast live and a replay will be available for 90 days. To listen to the webcast, please click on the link: http://wsw.com/webcast/needham94/dl/ or visit the News & Events section of our website at http://ir.cdeledu.com.

Management will meet with institutional investors throughout the event. For additional information, please contact your Needham institutional sales representative.

About China Distance Education Holdings Limited

China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China. The courses offered by the Company through its websites are designed to help professionals seeking to obtain and maintain professional licenses and to enhance their job skills through our professional development courses in China in the areas of accounting, healthcare, engineering & construction, legal and other industries. The Company also offers professional education courses for participants in the national judicial examination, online test preparation courses for self-taught learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees, test preparation courses for university students intending to take the nationwide graduate school entrance exam, practical accounting training courses for college students and working professionals, as well as online language courses and third-party developed online courses. In addition, the Company provides business services to corporate clients, including but not limited to tax advisory and accounting outsourcing services. For further information, please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com.

Contacts:

In China:China Distance Education Holdings Limited Jiao Jiao Tel: +86-10-8231-9999 ext.1826 Email: IR@cdeledu.com

The Piacente Group, Inc. Xi Zhang Tel: +86-10-6508-0677 E-mail: dl@tpg-ir.com

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc. Brandi Piacente Tel: +1 212-481-2050 Email: dl@tpg-ir.com

SOURCE China Distance Education Holdings Ltd.

http://ir.cdeledu.com

The rest is here:
China Distance Education Holdings to Participate in the 22nd Annual Needham Growth Conference - PRNewswire

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--edX.org, the trusted platform for learning, today announced MicroBachelors Programs, the first credit-backed stackable credential, marking a significant milestone in online learning. Created by edX in an innovative partnership with top universities and Fortune 1000 corporations, MicroBachelors programs deliver immediately transferable skills to meet the real-world needs of employers, while providing a pathway to a full Bachelors degree.

MicroBachelors programs are designed for adults without a college degree who believe they need additional education to advance in their careers. This group, like the majority of Americans, cannot afford a traditional Bachelors degree and cannot take the time away from work to pursue one. Additionally, the rate at which technological change is affecting the global workforce means that adults need immediately transferable skills that can be delivered in months, not years.

Breaking down the barriers of time and money, MicroBachelors programs are affordable, priced between $500 and $1,500 (roughly $166 per credit), and can be completed fully online, allowing working adults to complete the coursework on their own schedule. The programs are independently valuable as the rigorous content is created by academic institutions with input from industry leaders to deliver immediately transferable skills for the workplace. In addition, since the programs are backed by credit, once earned, learners can elect to apply credit from one of edXs university credit partners toward a full Bachelors degree. MicroBachelors programs fit into edXs vision to transform the delivery of education in a modular, stackable way.

edX was founded on the mission to increase access to high-quality education for everyone, everywhere and MicroBachelors programs are the next step forward in fulfilling that mission, said edX Founder and CEO Anant Agarwal. These programs are a significant step towards making a key academic milestone the Bachelors degree accessible and doing so in a way that positively impacts the members of our workforce most at risk to be displaced by automation and other changes in the workplace. We are thrilled to be able to collaborate with our academic and industry partners to offer these programs that enable continuous, lifelong learning and promise immediately applicable skills and knowledge with a valuable credit-backed credential.

The first MicroBachelors programs are IT Career Framework from Western Governors University (WGU), which is recognized for credit by WGU and Computer Science Fundamentals from New York University (NYU), which is pending recognition for credit by Thomas Edison State University (TESU). This is WGUs first offering as a new edX partner and marks an important milestone as the non-profit universitys first globally-available undergraduate modular online credential. Additionally, Arizona State University will be offering Professional Writing, with further offerings to be announced.

Corporations like IBM see value in new kinds of programs such as these to meet workplace upskilling and employability needs.

Technologies such as AI are increasingly changing the workforce, so the nature of education will have to evolve accordingly," said Guillermo Miranda, vice president and head of IBM Corporate Social Responsibility. "To give people the right skills and credentials for in-demand positions, and to meet employees where they are, stakeholders now need to offer a spectrum of resources for online and in-person instruction, as well as immersive, experiential learning. MicroBachelors programs are innovative as they can play a valuable role in these offerings.

Development of MicroBachelors programs is funded by Boeing, Lumina Foundation, SunTrust Foundation now Truist Foundation, Walmart, Jeremy M. and Joyce E. Wertheimer Foundation and Yidan Prize Foundation. This diverse group of supporters recognize the importance of addressing the global workforce education challenges that companies and workers face.

edX is also launching the MicroBachelors Program Skills Advisory Council a groundbreaking group of select foundations, corporations and academic institutions that will work to identify the core skills and learning pathways that MicroBachelors programs should deliver on.

Were pleased to support the MicroBachelors programs, as we believe its important for higher education institutions and businesses to partner together to transform, strengthen, and improve learning to help prepare people to enter the workforce and be successful, said Lynette Bell, president, Truist Foundation. Our participation in the MicroBachelors Program Skills Advisory Council, a group bringing together the key stakeholders in this arena, is a fundamental part of creating these conversations.

edX will be announcing additional MicroBachelors programs and new credit pathways that stack into full degree options with our university partners in the future. To learn more about MicroBachelors programs on edX, visit http://www.edx.org/microbachelors.

About edX edX is the trusted platform for education and learning. Founded by Harvard and MIT, edX is home to more than 24 million learners, the majority of top-ranked universities in the world and industry-leading companies. As a global nonprofit, edX is transforming traditional education, removing the barriers of cost, location and access. Fulfilling the demand for people to learn on their own terms, edX is reimagining the possibilities of education, providing the highest-quality, stackable learning experiences including the groundbreaking MicroMasters programs. Supporting learners at every stage, whether entering the job market, changing fields, seeking a promotion or exploring new interests, edX delivers courses for curious minds on topics ranging from data and computer science to leadership and communications. edX is where you go to learn.

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edX Launches MicroBachelors Programs, an Innovative Undergraduate-Level Credential That Will Transform the Future of Work and Higher Education -...