Udemy launches Teacher Tech Initiative to bring critical web development skills to K-12 teachers

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Udemy, the leading global marketplace for learning and teaching online, today announced the launch of a new initiative to bring free and discounted computer technology courses to K-12 teachers across the country, so teachers can better prepare students for the jobs of the future. The program, the Teacher Tech Initiative, was announced today at the fifth annual White House Science Fair as part of a broader initiative by the government and private companies to put more Americans in tech jobs.

"There's a reason so many young people love science. It's fun, it's fascinating, and it helps us solve the mysteries of our world," said President Barack Obama. "I want more boys and girls across America to get the chance to study science, technology, engineering and math – and maybe have the opportunity to go on to careers in those fields, too. So I'm glad so many organizations are stepping up to support STEM education. When we invest in our young people, we invest in our future."

Udemy's Teacher Tech Initiative seeks to make it possible for the next generation to take advantage of tech job opportunities by offering teachers more training in critical tech skills like web development and programming. More Americans need to learn tech skills to fill these jobs, but computer programming is taught in only one in 10 American public schools, largely due to a lack of teachers with computer science expertise.

The Teacher Tech Initiative will offer free computer technology courses to the first 1,000 K-12 teachers who sign up, and up to 95 percent discounts to all U.S. K-12 teachers for a collection of web development courses through 2015. This represents a $5 million investment by the company to empower U.S. educators to learn the latest skills to help their students succeed.

"We believe that people can be and do anything if given the opportunity to learn," said Dennis Yang, CEO of Udemy. "What's really exciting about this initiative is that it enables teachers to show students that you can always learn your way to where you want to go. We support President Obama's campaign to bring more Americans into the tech industry. These are high paying jobs and should be within reach of every American, regardless of background."

Yang attended today's announcement at the White House Science Fair. The event celebrates student projects, designs and experiments within science, technology, engineering and math disciplines (STEM). The theme of this year's Science Fair was diversity and inclusion, putting a specific focus on honoring girls and women excelling in STEM.

To sign up, teachers should register their public school email addresses at https://info.udemy.com/teachertechinitiative.html. Learn more about Udemy's Teacher Tech Initiative: https://blog.udemy.com/udemy-teacher-tech-initiative/.

ABOUT UDEMY

Udemy is the leading global marketplace for teaching and learning online. With an ever-growing offering of 25,000+ courses taught by 14,000+ instructors, we offer students the ability to learn as they go and succeed on their own terms. For companies, Udemy offers a comprehensive course content subscription and easy-to-use course-creation platform. Founded in 2010, privately-owned Udemy is funded by Norwest Venture Partners, Insight Venture Partners, Lightbank, MHS Capital, Learn Capital, and 500 Startups, among others. Udemy is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Dublin, Ireland and Ankara, Turkey.

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