The Penn Foster Blog

Gaining a diploma was once a rite of passage and an open door to realized dreams and seized opportunities. However, the rewards of a standard college education are no longer outweighing the costs of heavy debt and lack of job opportunities. While college may be the right fit for some, many of today's diploma holders lack the necessary skill set to fulfill the growing job market of trade-specific jobs. Instead of thriving from education, 40 percent of attendees at a four-year college drop out before completing their degree.1 Luckily, the education sector offers a variety of cost-effective options for post-high school career success-options that offer targeted learning for a first step toward a future of achievements.

We hear a lot these days in business about the movement to more fluid, trust-based business models and consumer services. In the so called "uber" economy, trust takes on new forms and becomes  even more essential to success. We human beings do not like to be faced with uncertainty, vulnerability, or risk, and the next generation of businesses and institutions are proving that they can both deliver greater consumer value and embrace that trust defined as competence and integrity is a precondition to buying or enrolling. 

Blended learning - blending face-to-face, in-classroom instruction with active online learning - is still a relatively new and emerging educational trend permeating the changing landscape of higher education.