R.I. AFL-CIO, Princeton Review in deal to offer online courses to members, families

PROVIDENCE – Test prep company The Princeton Review is launching a partnership with the Rhode Island AFL-CIO to provide union members and their families lower-cost, college-credit courses through The Princeton Review’s online-degree subsidiary, Penn Foster Education Group.

The partnership follows an agreement struck in June between Framingham, Mass.-based Princeton Review and the national AFL-CIO to make college-readiness courses available to the labor union’s 13 million members.

“We decided to launch our efforts to help working families with their educational needs here in Rhode Island, because we believe we can quickly demonstrate state-wide success that can be a model for other state AFL-CIO partnerships,” said Michael Perik, president and CEO of The Princeton Review.

Robert Delaney, executive director of the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO’s primary labor training arm, said the agreement will supplement college-credit courses already offered by the institute.

“There will be more courses for more people at more convenient times,” Delaney said. “Out of the gate we will be making over 25 new programs easily accessible to our members. These programs will train our workers to be pharmacy technicians, child development assistants, home medical aides and medical information managers, to name just a few growing professions. This October individuals who wish to begin their pathway to a career as a nurse or physical therapist will be able to enroll in the prerequisite courses.”

Delaney said those enrolled in the Penn Foster online courses can attend classes at the institute’s computer lab and receive assistance from a “facilitator” at the lab.

The cost for a three-credit course is expected to be between $300 and $325 – what the institute said would be competitive with community college rates.

“This unique partnership will make educational opportunities much more accessible and affordable for working families,” George Nee, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. “What will differentiate this partnership is the emphasis it will place on gearing the programs to union members and their families who in these tough economic times have a lot of competing pressures to balance. Through distance learning we will bring the Penn Foster College high-quality programs into the workplace, making it much easier for union members to pursue degree or certificate programs while working one and sometimes two jobs.”

The agreement between The Princeton Review – best known for its SAT preparation materials and its annual colleges ranking – and the national AFL-CIO is part of the publicly traded company’s bid to return to profitability, according to Worcester Business Journal.

The Princeton Review – which has no affiliation with the Ivy League’s Princeton University – has posted annual losses for the last several years. And earlier this month, it reported a $14.6 million loss in the second quarter.

The Princeton Review bought Penn Foster Education Group Inc. in December for $170 million. Penn Foster operates three accredited schools – Penn Foster College, Penn Foster Career School and Penn Foster High School – that the company said serve more than 223,000 students in 150 countries.