New Platform Launches to Help Students Understand the Labor Market Value of College Degrees

KIRKLAND, Wash., Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AstrumU®, a Seattle-based startup that is pioneering the use of machine learning to forecast the value of educational experiences in the labor market, today announced the release of its first-of-its-kind platform for U.S. colleges called the Translation Engine.

"Too often, employers and institutions of higher education are speaking fundamentally different languages when it comes to skills and hiring. Students, in turn, have to decipher for themselves how nuanced educational experiences translate into skills and credentials that matter to potential employers," said Adam Wray, founder and CEO of AstrumU®. "Using the Translation Engine, institutions can leverage a common data driven language that helps students translate between what they've learned in college and the complex needs of employers."

The new platform ingests verified data directly from both colleges, and employers, to predict how specific skills, courses, and even internships or extracurricular activities translate into career outcomes. A growing body of research suggests that liberal arts and other more traditional academic programs have significant, long term economic value in a future of work where 'universal' skills like problem solving and critical thinking are in-demand.

"It can be easy to fall into the trap of letting majors and courses of study predetermine a student's career potential—and by extension their life trajectory," said Tess Surprenant, Director, Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. "As recent graduates contend with the most volatile job market in history, it's never been more critical that we help them understand how their skills can translate into predictable long-term career opportunities."

By creating personalized "Learner Scores" for students, AstrumU® can help to inform college coaching, academic and career advising efforts with an understanding of how course-taking patterns, majors, and other choices affect a student's return on educational investments. Employers can use AstrumU®'s Translation Engine to understand the academic backgrounds of top performing employees and identify high potential candidates regardless of where they went to school or started their journey.

Originally incubated at the University of Kansas by KU alumnus Adam Wray, AstrumU® 's suite of tools for learners, advisors, and administrators are now being used by an initial cohort of colleges and universities across the country including the University of Kansas and the University of Washington.

About AstrumU®: AstrumU® translates educational experiences into economic opportunity. We are on a mission to quantify the return on education investment for learners, education providers, and employers. We help institutions measure the value created for incoming and returning students, while assisting them in securing industry partnerships that lead students seamlessly into high-demand career pathways. Institutions partner with AstrumU® to drive enrollment and increase alumni and corporate engagement, while extending economic mobility opportunities inclusively to all learners.

SOURCE AstrumU