The United States Department of Education las launched an experiment wherein students, particularly those coming from low-income families will be given federal aid to be able to undergo training in eight non-traditional educational institutions in partnership with colleges and universities. Students will be taught business, coding, management, manufacturing, software development and web development.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, there will be up to $17 million in loans and grants available to students in the education departments' Educational Quality through Innovative Partnerships or EQUIP program. Each of the eight partnerships will have its own corresponding independent, third-party quality assurance entity assigned to it.
Obama Administration to Fund Nontraditional Training for Students: https://t.co/hpckUJz6zM pic.twitter.com/gZJP0baWMx
— US Dept of Education (@usedgov) August 16, 2016
The report said that majority of the non-traditional education institutions in the program are for-profit companies. A press release from the Department of Education said that these non-traditional educational institutions were chosen based on five criteria, namely, innovating to improve outcomes, equity and access, quality assurance, affordability, and student and taxpayer protections.
The department is expecting that the eight partnerships will be presenting their final programs for their approval this fall, a Washington Post report quoted education undersecretary Ted Mitchell as saying. Around 1,500 students are reportedly expected to enroll in the program for its opening year. Mitchell said that inflexible or unaffordable higher education options should not be a hindrance to students.
The report added that under the EQUIP program, the education department will be lifting its financial aid ban on colleges that outsource 50 percent of their instruction and course content to non-accredited institutions. The department said in its press release said that this will increase student access to the new types of educational programs while enabling them to see the program's effect on students. The complete list of the partnerships and the courses they offer can be found in the said release.
