ConnectEDU Integrates Experience to Create Industry-Leading High School to College to Career Network

BOSTON, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ConnectEDU (the web-based leader in connecting learners to possibilities) and Experience (the largest university-endorsed career network bridging the gap between college and the working world) have merged to provide 21st-century learners the ultimate destination for college and career planning. For the first time, learners can map their education decisions to potential careers, versus blindly selecting a college major or course plan and assuming career prospects will exist upon graduation.  With the integration of the Experience network, ConnectEDU's products and services now form a database of a generation's college and career decisions tied to actual college and career outcomes. Using predictive modeling and actionable intelligence, this information can be used to optimize investments in education plans, workforce development, and inevitably build a more stable financial future for all college graduates.

Specifically, employers can now build a talent pipeline by guiding learners' education decisions, from middle school to college and beyond.  Colleges can now better prepare students for gainful employment upon graduation by connecting career placement opportunities with course planning, internships and other employment preparation activities that will improve post-college outcomes. And government and workforce development organizations can better ensure economic sustainability by leveraging analytics and reporting across the Learner Lifecycle™.  Together, institutions can now work collaboratively to connect the needs of the workforce with the educational paths being pursued.

"Education and career decisions must be integrated to truly empower a learner to be successful in the 21st-century job market," said ConnectEDU CEO, Craig Powell. "Like many aspects of the education and workforce development initiatives in this country, the efforts to date – classifieds, job boards, etc.  – are transactional in nature and don't serve to inform a student's decision making or prevent potentially catastrophic education and financial decisions. Gone are the days when a college education would ensure a student's place in America's middle class.  Today, students must be positioned to succeed; they must have education plans that are informed by their career opportunities that will be available upon their graduation from college or completion of a certificate program.  This requires a dynamic, real-time network and proactive planning solution; this is precisely what we have developed with Experience.com."

"Experience's vision has always been to help young adults learn from the experiences of others. More than simply a bank of resumes or a traditional job board, Experience helps people understand their choices and where their interests and aptitudes are in highest demand by employers," said Experience CEO, Jennifer Floren Sozzi. "By teaming up with ConnectEDU, more learners enter into and will graduate from college prepared to apply their talents in ways that best serve the needs of employers and grow our economy."

In combination, ConnectEDU and Experience will manage 20 million student accounts, over 3,000 high school, college and professional organization deployments, 130,000 employers, and over 1 million entry-level job opportunities – along with the actionable, data-driven intelligence derived from this extensive community.

About Experience:

Experience is the largest university-endorsed career network bridging the gap between college and the working world. Since 1996, we have partnered with universities to educate, assist and inspire college graduates to launch and lead extraordinary careers. Each year our award-winning network connects millions of candidates from 3,800 colleges and universities with more than 130,000 employers.

About ConnectEDU:

ConnectEDU, Inc. is the web-based leader in empowering students to manage their education, launch their careers, and secure a more stable financial future. Created, developed and run by people who have worked in every area of college counseling, admissions, and career development, ConnectEDU uses information technology to connect real students and real data with real colleges, and real career opportunities. ConnectEDU makes the college admissions process simpler, more efficient, more reliable and more effective. The Company's approach gives every student, from every neighborhood across the country, the best opportunity to achieve their dream of a college education and promising career.

SOURCE ConnectEDU, Inc.