Home Depot and Pearson create an online path to pros

Pearson and its Connections Academy online public school program serving K-12 students, announced a partnership with The Home Depot Path to Pro program to introduce high school students to careers in the trade industry.

The partnership is the first of its kind with a learning company for The Home Depot, said Pearson, and the first corporate employer partnership in Connections Academy’s recently announced expanded slate of college and career readiness offerings for middle and high school students.

“The Home Depot’s Path to Pro program is a great fit because it is all about providing high school students early pathways to training and education in rewarding fields,” said Casey Welch, virtual schools VP for careers at Pearson.

The initiative, said Connections Academy, includes the Path to Pro skills program, offering on-demand courses designed to prepare participants for six trade-based careers, including electrical, drywall, paint, plumbing, HVAC and general construction.

Interested students can explore free programs developed by experts in the construction profession, said Pearson.

“At Pearson’s Connections Academy, we want to meet our students where they are, whether they want to attend college or go immediately into the labor market, as a growing number have told us that they would like to pursue alternative pathways and more direct routes to employment after high school,” said Welch.

Once eligible, said the online school, they can build a free profile in the Path to Pro network to showcase their skills, upload a resume, apply for more than 2,500 jobs and connect to millions of Home Depot pro customers looking for skilled workers.

The initiatives offer an innovative new tri-credit approach where courses can deliver high school credit, industry-recognized micro-credentials, and eligibility for college credit toward over 150 U.S. bachelor’s degree programs.

To date, said Pearson, Home Depot has enrolled nearly 9,000 people in the Path to Pro skills program and more than 13,800 in the Path to Pro network.

“Connections and relationship building in the industry will be a win for those looking to enter the labor market – not to mention for the many professional contractors that need to find a new generation of talent,” said Welch.