University to offer online courses to unemployed Michigan residents

University to offer online courses to unemployed Michigan residents

Officials with the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business have announced that the institution has partnered with several other organizations to provide free online education opportunities to the state's unemployed workforce, according to WWJ News Radio.

In collaboration with Channel 2 Michigan, the Maria Madeline Project and five local library systems, the school will offer university-level career rebranding courses to those who have recently lost their job.

The program is designed to help the unemployed and underemployed find a new career path by identifying their strengths, while teaching them new skills. The coursework will focus on several fields of study, including healthcare, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship as well as government and nonprofits.

Participating faculty will also teach students basic and intermediate computer skills and will show them ways to develop and maintain a positive frame of mind during a trying time. The goal of the program is to prepare as many as 100,000 unemployed Michiganites to re-enter the workforce.

Online education can be a flexible option for those who are looking to improve their career prospects but find it difficult to attend conventional on-campus classes. According to the 2009 Sloan Survey, approximately 4.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in the fall of 2008.

By Mark Danson