Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions Partners with Leading Higher Education Institutions to Create Network Focused on the Future of Workforce Education

co-workers walking on campus

Think Tank Will Create Actionable Solutions to Educational Challenges Facing the American Workforce

December 8, 2021 – Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions has established the Workforce Education Network, a select group of highly-regarded universities and colleges looking to jointly provide increased access to affordable, high-quality education while reducing costs and decreasing time to earning a degree for employees and employers. The mission is to increase talent mobility by solving strategic workforce gaps – a problem that has been accelerated by the pandemic. This group will focus on promoting and implementing best workforce practices focused on reskilling and upskilling, education pathways and credentialing to lead to improved productivity and greater social mobility for today’s working learners.

“With over a decade of experience in creating education benefits for more than 200 employers, we are uniquely positioned to join forces with these partners to develop actionable solutions to the challenges facing the American workforce,” says Jill Buban, vice president and general manager of Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions. “EdAssist sits at the intersection between employers and educational institutions, providing us with salient insight into the challenges employers face in employee engagement and talent acquisition strategies.”

The founding institutions joining the Network include Western Governors University and colleges of the Alamo College District, which includes Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, San Antonio College and St. Philip’s College, an HBCU and HSI institution. The Network will continue to expand its membership with like-minded institutions in early 2022.

“As digital transformation continues to accelerate the pace of change across virtually all industries, investing in the learning and development of employees is becoming a universal business imperative,” said WGU President Scott Pulsipher. “Our partnership with the Workforce Education Network will drive our collective efforts to democratize education with organizations that span private, public and nonprofit sectors.”

“Through this network, we are growing our commitment to ensure no one gets left behind,” said Dr. Mike Flores, Alamo Colleges District Chancellor. “It’s refreshing to see this partnership come together to examine ways to best provide quality education opportunities for those in our community looking to find a way to be competitive and employed.”

Through the combined impact of these institutions, the Network will serve all working learners, with a particular focus on creating mobility and advancement opportunities for women and other underrepresented employees who have traditionally had less access to education opportunities. Hispanic and Black adults are as much as 50% less likely than white adults to have graduated from college, a fact that holds them back from advancement and even being seen in the hiring pool for growth-potential roles. Through education programs, the Network seeks to not only create opportunities for talent retention and development, but in turn enable employees to achieve social and financial stability in all areas of their lives.

“As a nationally recognized health care provider and an employer of choice, it is essential that our employees have opportunities to constantly grow, learn, research, and innovate. Working with our partners in the Workforce Education Network helps us give them those opportunities in ways that meet their individual needs and achieve their professional and personal life goals,” said Marge Stehman, senior manager, Human Resources at Yale New Haven Health System.