Southern African Virtual School Partners With Cengage Learning's ed2go And Smart Horizons Career Online Education To Deliver High School Diplomas

PENSACOLA, Fla. and GAUTENG, South Africa, Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern African Virtual School (SAVS) is now offering citizens of the Republic of South Africa the opportunity to earn accredited American high school diplomas through Career Online High School (COHS), a program available through ed2go, part of Cengage Learning, and Smart Horizons Career Online Education. This marks the first major international partnership for COHS, an online program established to provide value to students in all global regions, regardless of the structure of the educational system.

"We're excited to partner with the Southern African Virtual School to offer Career Online High School to the citizens of South Africa," stated Dr. Howard Liebman, CEO and Superintendent of Smart Horizons Career Online Education.  "Our partnership with SAVS and the introduction of COHS in a market outside of the United States is possible due to the flexibility and adaptability of our unique online program and its acceptance is a testament to the proven quality of our curriculum and academic support staff."

Powered by SHCOE, the world's first accredited, private online school district, and introduced by ed2go, part of Cengage Learning, a leading global education company , COHS enables students to earn an 18-credit high school diploma and a credentialed career certificate in one comprehensive online program. Classes are supported by certified instructors and students have 24/7 access to the online learning platform. Coursework begins in one of eight high-growth, high-demand career fields -- across a wide spectrum from child care and education to certified transportation -- before progressing to the core academic subjects. Many students are able to graduate in as few as 4 to 6 months by transferring in previously earned high school credits.

"Our partnership with ed2go and SHCOE further reinforces our ongoing commitment to offer high quality, international education to students throughout Southern Africa," said Keith Maree, CEO of CampusNet and the Southern African Virtual School. "The situation for many young adults in South Africa, and throughout Africa, is that they have either dropped out of high school, have insufficient qualifications to advance academically or do not have the required 21^st century skills required in today's global workplace. The Career Online High School program, with its strong emphasis on career skills and certification together with an accredited American high school diploma, offers them a unique opportunity to address their situation and advance themselves.  We are proud to be partnering with ed2go and SHCOE and look forward to working with many local organizations in making this program a valuable component of skills development in the region."

The Republic of South Africa features a three-tiered educational system with twelve years of formal training. Students take a Senior Certificate Examination upon completion of their formal training to determine their eligibility for entrance into either an academic university or university of technology.

"The more than 4 million students in The Republic of South Africa who may have scored low on the Senior Certificate Examination now have an opportunity to continue their education by earning an accredited U.S. high school diploma through COHS as they seek to matriculate into a university training program," said Ron Stefanski, Chief Business Development Officer at ed2go. "At ed2go, we believe that education is the ultimate game changer across the globe. In partnership with Smart Horizons and The Southern Africa Virtual School, we aim to keep individuals engaged in education and support them in achieving their academic goals in preparation for longer term success in the workforce."

The Southern African Virtual School
SAVS is a subsidiary and operating division of South African registered companies, CampusNet (Pty) Ltd and Siyafunda Education (Pty) Ltd. For more information: www.campusnet.co.za

About Cengage Learning and ed2go
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional and library markets worldwide.  ed2go, part of Cengage Learning, is the largest provider of turnkey online training and education solutions serving the adult education, career and corporate training markets. With over 2,000 colleges, universities, community based organizations and other training providers, ed2go has served more than 2.5 million students. ed2go's ever-growing catalog of Online Courses and Career Training Programs makes it simple for students to enrich their lives or reach professional goals in a supportive and engaging environment. For more information: www.cengage.com and www.ed2go.com.

About Smart Horizons Career Online Education
Smart Horizons Career Online Education, founded in 2009 and located in Pensacola, Florida, is a private, AdvancED/SACS accredited online school district. AdvancED/SACS District accreditation signifies that SHCOE and all of its schools are fully accredited and that SHCOE is recognized across the nation as a quality school system. Smart Horizons Career Online Education offers 18-credit, career-based high school diploma programs that are designed to prepare students for entrance into the workplace. Career certificate offerings include Childcare Education, Office Management, Protection Services, Homeland Security, Transportation Services, Professional Skills, Retail Customer Service Skills, and Food & Customer Service Skills.

For more information, visit our website at www.shcoe.org, call our office at 855.777.4265 or email us at [email protected]

SOURCE Cengage Learning