No one benefits from empty seats in a college
classroom. A new online platform is being developed to provide a solution.
Anyone’s Learning Experience (ALEX), a company led by
students from Harvard University, created a program that matches the educational
needs of employers and their employees with excess capacity in classrooms. ALEX
received $10,000 in funding from the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at
Harvard to get the project off the ground.
ALEX works with businesses that already offer tuition assistance to their employees.
The goal is to help employers reduce training costs while improving employee development
and retention. The company is currently focused on Boston-area businesses, but
plans to roll out the program to other cities.
“Many
people are struggling to improve their education, companies need better-trained
employees, and every year there are about two million unfilled U.S. classroom
seats—there is a huge need and potential for the platform we’ve created,”
Sergio Marrero, CEO of ALEX, said in a release for University Business. “Connecting working professionals without college
training with available seats in classrooms is an effective and cost-effective
way to help business thrive while improving the lives of millions of people.”