Chicago LRNG "Boss Up"

About LRNG At LRNG we believe learners can best define their purpose when they are at the center of their learning. LRNG is building pathways to unlock opportunities for more people in cities across the country and working to ensure an equitable future of talent for the 21st century workplace. Working with cities and organizations to connect learning experiences to career opportunities and college credit, LRNG is ensuring that all young people, especially those from underserved communities, have the inspiration, guidance, and skills needed to prepare them for life and work in the modern economy. LRNG was launched in 2015 with an initial $25 million investment by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. That followed the Foundation’s decade-long, $200 million investment in Digital Media and Learning that developed the principles around Connected Learning, learning that is interest-driven, socially-embedded, and relevant to the real world. In 2018, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and LRNG, merged to build one of the largest and most innovative learning and workforce solutions for cities and employers across the U.S. SNHU is a national university committed to expanding access to higher education and transforming lives through flexible and affordable degree pathways. LRNG was built on curating the experiences, resources, and people needed to transform the way young people access and experience learning. Together, we are building city-based strategies to provide learning and work opportunities for everyone from high school students to working adults. This model is designed to address workforce needs and increase access to learning pathways for middle school-aged students through working adults at little-to-no cost using an urban ecosystem approach that focuses on low-income populations. WHAT WE DO As the community impact arm of SNHU, LRNG works with local government, employers, the public library systems, community colleges, or other local partners to open the door to new opportunities for residents and help close workforce gaps. Major national employers such as Amazon Web Services and Unity Technologies are joining in the effort, assisting in various ways with talent development needs. At a time when many believe higher education inhabits the rigidly defined space between high school and workforce, we are redefining the boundaries and creating personalized pathways that give learners just the right learning, at just the right time, at just the right place in their lives. Our online and in person experiences are all wrapped together into playlists that equip youth with tangible skills and understandings that they can apply in academic and career settings. The LRNG platform enables young people to access both local and national opportunities from their computer, smartphone or tablet. Youth find and pursue their interests with mentors and peers, build new skills and habits wherever and whenever they want.