Cengage and Practice Labs Partner to Offer IT Students a Live Virtual Training Environment

BOSTON and LONDON, Dec. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cengage, an education and technology company, and Practice Labs, a London-based edtech company, announced the integration of live virtual machine labs into MindTap, Cengage's flagship digital learning platform.  The integration will prepare students to succeed in the high demand field of computer and information technology (IT), where employment is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations.¹

Practice Labs is integrated directly into MindTap.  This allows students to work with live servers and networking hardware from their web browser without leaving the MindTap platform.  This hands-on practice helps students develop and master skills that are immediately transferable to the workforce.

"Learning experiences that give students access to the same real live servers and software that they will be using later in their careers build confidence and lead to higher levels of engagement and improved real world outcomes," said Balraj Kalsi, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Science, Technology and Math at Cengage.  "With job growth in IT and computer programming on the rise, this integration will help students develop skills that are in high demand, while reinforcing the importance of critical thinking."   

Available for nearly 1,000 courses spanning fifty disciplines, MindTap gives instructors complete ownership of their content and learning experience. Instructors customize the interactive syllabi, emphasize the most important topics, and add their own material or notes in the eBook. The outcome-driven application helps challenge every student, build their confidence, and empower them to be unstoppable.

"Practice Labs is a powerful tool that provides students the hands-on practice that builds confidence, operational and troubleshooting skills," said Ricky Doyle, CEO of Practice Labs.  "Students love that they are working in a live environment with real servers and networks that they can explore, fail, try again until they succeed. Instructors love that the labs are already built and tested – and that they map to the certification objectives, the Cengage text and their curriculum. Administrators love that they do not have to invest in the hardware to build, host and maintain an in-house lab."

MindTap courses available for CompTIA and Microsoft flagship certifications, as well as computer forensics, include:

• CompTIA Security+
• Network+
• Linux+
• A+ Guide to IT Technical Support
• MCSA Guide to Installing and Configuring Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (Exam # 70-410)
• MCSA Guide to Administering Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (Exam # 70-411)\

For release in January 2017

• MCSA Guide to Microsoft Windows 10 (Exam 70-697, Configuring Windows Devices)
• A+ Guide to Software
• MCTS Guide to Microsoft Windows 7 (Exam # 70-680)
• MCITP Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Server Administration (Exam # 70-646)
• Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations
• MCSA Guide to Configuring Advanced Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Services, (Exam # 70-412).

To learn more, please visit: http://www.cengage.com/mindtap/.

About Cengage

Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. The company serves the higher education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Cengage creates learning experiences that build confidence and momentum toward the future students want. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA with an office hub in San Francisco. Employees reside in nearly 40 countries with sales in more than 125 countries around the world. Visit us at www.cengage.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

About Practice Labs

Practice Labs' high quality online virtual lab platform provides cloud-based access to live real world equipment that changes the way technical IT training is carried out. Practice Labs is an international company that has assisted thousands of individuals achieve IT certifications that are instrumental in advancing careers as well as being an instrumental player in addressing the workforce training challenge for the IT labor shortage.  www.Practice-Labs.com.

¹ Computer and Information Technology Occupations. (2015, December 17). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm.

Media Contact:
Chloe Ryan, Cengage
617-757-8160, [email protected]

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SOURCE Cengage Learning

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