Thomson Education changes name to Cengage and kicks off tertiary offering
SYDNEY, 12 December 2007, Thomson Education, a leader in distance education in Australia since 1921, is changing its name to Cengage Education following the sale of Thomson Learning to Apax Partners and Omers for US$7.75bn in May 2007. The name change marks Cengage Education’s formal launch as a dual sector operation: the company will now work across the vocational sector, where it has a long history, and it will move into the higher education sector where it will provide relevant, accessible and flexible tertiary courses.
At present, Cengage Education, as Thomson Education will be known from January 2008, has over 79,000 active students. The company has educated and improved the lives of over 700,000 Australians since setting up in Australia in 1921.
Cengage Education’s rich history in the educational sphere in Australia has allowed the company to create tertiary courses that are highly tuned to the day-to-day working requirements of particular professions.
Malcolm Kinns, General Manager of Vocational Education and Training at Cengage, said, “We have worked closely with industry partners and with key bodies, to develop courses that ensure graduates have the skills to help them work effectively in their chosen field. We are using technology to respond swiftly to the ever changing workplace environment, guaranteeing our graduates have up-to-the-minute skills they can use immediately”.
Thomson has invested time and research and development funds working with its Australian partner DNAML to create the eCourse online learning platform. This technology effectively expands the definition of distance learning to distributed learning.
Dr. Alan Bowen-James, General Manager of Higher Education, said, “We wanted to move away from the traditional permission-based, centrally controlled learning management model and provide students with a peer-to-peer environment.”
“Our online learning tools give students a compelling and effective educational experience. Within minutes, people new to online learning are able to start using their courseware, access libraries and create personalised notes” Bowen-James added.
Students can now study to their own timetable, at home or in the workplace, without the need for any face-to-face classes. The added functionality of eCourse means that study notes can be completely paperless. Students and others can chat and exchange ideas, download articles and multi-media, as well as completing assessments according to a personalised schedule.
Cengage Education is lifting the quality of both Higher and Vocational Education, as well as redefining distance education across the world.
About Cengage Education:
Cengage Education is a Registered Training Organisation, licensed to deliver training, conduct assessments and issue qualifications throughout Australia. Cengage Education delivers flexible, self-paced distance education in vocational, non-vocational and higher education sectors. Starting in 1921, Cengage Education has provided quality home study courses to more than 700,000 people in Australia and New Zealand and currently has over 79,000 active students.