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Dec 19, 2025

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News & Updates

Edtech and Workforce Development News Roundup - 12/19

In today's ever-changing world of education and workforce development, technology is increasingly shaping the opportunities available to students, schools, and employers. From online talent marketplaces and cutting-edge edtech tools to personalized support systems and updated regulations, these changes reflect a shared effort to make education more transparent, results-focused, and centered around the learner.

Dec 16, 2025

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Mantra Health

Mantra Health CEO and Co-Founder, Matt Kennedy named to Slice of Healthcare's "50 Under 50" list

CEO and Co-founder Matt Kennedy has been named to Slice of Healthcare’s “50 Under 50” list, which recognizes 50 dynamic and influential leaders who are shaping the future of healthcare. Matt is a visionary leader committed to innovation and has an unwavering passion for improving student mental health across higher education. Under his guidance, Mantra has reached over 150 campuses and is now actively serving more than 1.3 million students. Read the original story in full here . #MantraHealth

Dec 12, 2025

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News & Updates

Edtech and Workforce Development News Roundup - 12/12

In today's rapidly evolving workforce Industry, traditional pathways into employment are facing unprecedented challenges, from eroding entry-level opportunities to shifting perceptions of higher education's value. As AI continues to transform skill requirements and job roles, innovative approaches (such as portfolio-based work-based learning, skills-first strategies, and streamlined educational systems) are emerging as vital solutions to bridge gaps and foster economic mobility.

Dec 10, 2025

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Orijin

Monroe County Sheriff's Office Partners with Tech Educator Orijin for Inmate Workforce Development Program in Tennessee

In a recent social media announcement, Monroe County Sheriff's Office shared its inclusion in a workforce development initiative with tech education provider Orijin, supported by the State of Tennessee. Sheriff Tommy Jones made the revelation, stating that the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Detention Facility will serve as the site for this pilot initiative, set to kick off on January 1, 2026, according to a post on their Facebook page. The program will introduce inmates to the Interplay...

Dec 10, 2025

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Acceleration Academies

Gwinnett County students to graduate after given second chance with non-traditional, free program, Acceleration Academies

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Traditional high school wasn’t all that smooth for Cobi Dawson. He discovered the Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies program. “Traditional school wasn’t really for me,” Dawson said. “Like people, everybody wants to be alike. They act like people they’re not; they hang around other people they do the wrong things.” The program caters to students who felt traditional high school wasn’t working out. It’s primarily an online program, that also requires them...

Dec 5, 2025

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News & Updates

Edtech and Workforce Development News Roundup - 12/05

In this week's News Roundup, the articles featured highlight how the traditional pathways from education to career are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. From the widening gap between high school graduation and workforce readiness to the diminishing returns of a college degree, stakeholders across the education and employment sectors are rethinking how we prepare young people for success.

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This innovative company empowers incarcerated people to reenter the workforce

Cat Burchmore
Mar 19, 2024
1 min read

Updated: Nov 21, 2024

Orijin—which makes a free learning platform for incarcerated people—is one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the education sector.

Over the last 10 years, Orijin—previously known as American Prison Data Systems—has provided free courses and career readiness resources to nearly 100,000 people who are incarcerated in correctional facilities across the country. The B corporation’s work fits into a larger movement to empower the formerly incarcerated to reenter the workforce, especially as states have taken steps to seal criminal records and mitigate the barriers to employment faced by people with records.

Orijin’s free learning platform, which is accessible through the company’s own secure tablet computers, is now being used in more than 200 facilities across 17 states and Washington, D.C. In 2023, the company forged a partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, providing educational programming and career-readiness courses to 6,000 individuals in correctional institutions statewide; the partnership is one of the first of its kind to make such resources available to all incarcerated people in the state.

Orijin also released the results of a cloud certification pilot program implemented inside the D.C. Department of Corrections in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS)—the type of training that could be directly applicable to tech jobs in the real world. The program’s participants scored a 85% pass rate on the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification exam.

Read original story here.

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