📜 New Credentials, New Models & University Workshops

Happy Monday 👋

This week’s developments highlight a growing trend in credentialing through partnerships between higher education organizations and governments. UPCEA, the US-based online and professional education association, released a new playbook that aids universities in creating non-credit micro-credentials for local businesses, while Australia’s Trust Exchange platform enhances digital identity management by storing digital credentials, encouraging the smoother transition of digital credentials across systems. Higher education institutions in the US and Canada are introducing new credentialing solutions, such as Fresno State’s free EIT credential program for mechanical engineering students in partnership with Net Positive Consulting Engineers (NPC) and Conestoga College’s Manufacturing Leadership micro-credential program with Ontario government support. These initiatives highlight growing collaboration between education and industry to meet specific education-to-employment needs and increasing demand from students for alternate models for post-secondary education.

🧩 Engage with New Credentials at the 'Back to School' Summit

‘New Credentials’ feature prominently at this year’s HolonIQ’s Back to School Summit Sep 10-11 —don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about this key topic for higher education leaders. ⚒️ New Credentials and Upskilling Sessions - Accelerating Apprenticeships; Meeting Demand for Green Skills in the Workforce; Degrees vs. Credentials: Beyond the All-or-Nothing Debate; Rethinking Education Finance: Who Pays for Upskilling?; Community Colleges: The Vocational Engine Powering America's Workforce from the Ground Up;  The “Toolbelt Generation”: Trades, Training and Talent and the Age of Technology; No College, A World of Career Paths. Register Now.

⏰ Access University Workshops - Register for the Back to School Summit

Are you a leader and innovator working in an institution of higher education? Join the Back to School Summit Higher Education & Workforce track and receive an invitation to the Day 1 Higher Education Workshops, offering practical takeaways and a valuable networking opportunity. Numbers are strictly limited for these workshops. Summit Agenda & Registration.

💪 Power Moves

💰 Fei-Fei Li's AI Startup World Labs Raises $100M at $1B+ Valuation. World Labs, an enterprise workforce AI startup founded by Stanford professor Fei-Fei Li, raised $100M in a round led by NEA, valuing the company at over $1B.

🤖 Nvidia Partners with California to Offer Free AI Training. Nvidia, a global GPU manufacturer, has announced a new partnership with the state of California to provide free AI training to 100,000 residents and give academic institutions better access to its hardware.

📚 PowerSchool Expands AI in Education Across Middle East and Africa. PowerSchool, a leading education software provider in North America, announced its continued expansion of AI-powered education solutions in the Middle East and Africa regions.

💰 Deals of the Week

💸 Roper Technologies, a diversified industry firm, is set to acquire Transact Campus, a payment solution provider for universities, for $1.6B.

🎓 TEDU, a US-based academic support provider, raised $2M in seed funding to expand its operations and development efforts.

🤖 Synapse Analytics, an Egyptian AI training platform, raised $2M in a Series A funding round to increase its reach within GCC and Africa.

🎲 Yield Guild Games, a Web3 game developer, acquired 10XME, AI education platform.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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