Burning Glass Solution Allows Colleges to Validate Demand for New Programs Against Reality of Job Market

BOSTON, Dec. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Burning Glass Technologies announces the launch of Program Insight™, a ground-breaking real-time labor data tool that allows educators and learning providers to ensure that academic program development matches up with the realities of the job market.

Both traditional higher education and nontraditional training providers are under increasing pressure to ensure that their programs put students on a path to employment—a crucial factor for students making enrollment decisions; educators justifying programs to funders, accreditors, and trustees; and graduates who need to pay off their loans.

With Burning Glass Program Insight, learning providers can assess employer demand for graduates of a proposed program within minutes via an easy-to-use dashboard, bringing together data that were previously only available through extensive research.

"Ensuring that new programs are aligned with the job market is vital for higher education," said Matthew Sigelman, CEO of Burning Glass Technologies. "As institutions and other learning providers serve a rapidly growing number of career-oriented students, the alignment of programs with career opportunity is critical both to their market success and to the student outcomes they deliver.  Burning Glass Program Insight will empower all postsecondary institutions with actionable insights, enabling them to make data-driven decisions. Educators will have the tools to shape programs and produce the outcomes that today's economy demands."

The core of Program Insight is the unparalleled Burning Glass database of more than 600 million job postings, collected from more than 40,000 online sources daily. This provides faster and more detailed insight into what employers need, including specific skills in demand than other sources of labor information. Burning Glass research is regularly cited by the White House, the Federal Reserve, the Brookings Institution, Harvard Business School, and a wide range of corporate and educational clients.

Program Insight also incorporates many other sources of educational and job data, including government and IPEDS data, to provide a one-stop research tool for program development.

Burning Glass Program Insight takes educators through key criteria, step by step, to make a "go" or "no go" decision on a specific program proposal, including:

• Assessing the potential for gainful employment of graduates by examining salary ranges, the local cost of living, the overall labor pool, employment trends, projections, and a cohesive look at job postings in real time;
• Understanding the competitive landscape and determining an institution's ability to compete for potential students;
• Analyzing employer demand and pain points, ensuring the program is aligned with the skills and qualifications employers want;
• Mapping programs to relevant occupations, including occupations which may not normally be associated with the program but which nonetheless present opportunities based on the specific skills employers are seeking; and
• Mapping the key competencies graduates will need – essential to informing curricular development and ensuring institutions have the staff, funding, and technology needed.
• The module not only validates degree programs but also certificates, certifications, and other forms of credentials—often critical in continuing education, online courses, and services for adult learners.

For more information about Burning Glass Program Insight, visit http://burning-glass.com/program-insight.

About Burning Glass
Burning Glass Technologies delivers job market analytics that empower employers, workers, and educators to make data-driven decisions. The company's artificial intelligence technology analyzes hundreds of millions of job postings and real-life career transitions to provide insight into labor market patterns. This real-time strategic intelligence offers crucial insights, such as which jobs are most in demand, the specific skills employers need, and the career directions that offer the highest potential for workers. For more information, visit burning-glass.com.

SOURCE Burning Glass Technologies

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