Professional Education

As the Director of Sales and Market Development for the Professional and Career College Market, I am of course active with the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), a voluntary membership organization of accredited, private, postsecondary schools, institutes, colleges and universities that provide career-specific educational programs.  I just recently attended their Winter Senior Executive Management Seminar in Beaver Creek, Colorado, and am more energized than ever about the incredible focus on the student that these colleges provide. One of the goals of the Seminar I attended is getting to know the market.  Although the average age of the career college student is only a few years older than the traditional public college student, there are many other factors that make career college students unique (and that their schools seek to address).   Career colleges seek to accommodate students that often have full time employment, busy families that depend on them, and are frequently the first of their families to go to college.  What does that mean for their students?

·     Flexibility

·     Variable scheduling

·     Adaptive learning

·     Focus on completion

It’s important that for-profit colleges continue to focus on their robust offerings and experiences that address often at-risk students. At Blackboard, we will continue to highlight success stories on our website and at events; we are sponsoring the 2^nd Annual Professional and Career College Summit in NYC, April 11-13 (contact us for more information).  I also hope you’ll join us at APSCU’s 2011 Annual Convention & Expo in June where the professional education division of Blackboard is Diamond level sponsor.