Gatlin Education Services is pleased to announce the immediately availability of a new online Emergency Management Training Program. This training program is offered in partnership with over 700 colleges and universities. The demand for skills in the Emergency Management field is growing out of necessity, and provides many opportunities in both the public and private sectors for job seekers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, emergency management specialists “coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies, hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.”

• Those studying emergency management can find employment at the federal, state, or local levels. They can also find employment in the private sector with business continuity planning. Additionally, they can be employed in other sectors such as emergency services and public health.
• “Top employers of emergency management specialists are local governments, state governments, general medical and surgical hospitals, power generation and supply services, and emergency and other relief services.” (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• According to the Department of Labor, there will be a 28% job market increase in emergency management specialists by 2012. Emergency Management is also on the list of 20 fastest-growing professions in the United States.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts faster than average growth in this field throughout 2012.
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage for Emergency Management Specialists is $24.26

Interested students can find the accredited institution nearest them offering this new program by visiting www.gatlineducation.com.

This article comes from The Chronicle.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected a request by Blackboard Inc. for a temporary halt in the office’s review of a software patent the company holds concerning course-management systems.

This year Blackboard won a lawsuit in federal court against a rival software company, Desire2Learn, for violating the patent, though Desire2Learn has appealed the decision. Meanwhile, Desire2Learn had formally challenged the validity of the patent with the patent office, arguing that it is overly broad and covers technology that other companies had developed before Blackboard filed its patent. The patent office issued an initial verdict in March that rejected all 44 of the claims that make up Blackboard’s patent. But that review is “nonfinal,” meaning that the review is still underway.

Blackboard officials filed a request to the patent office in May asking that the review of the patent be put on hold until the patent lawsuit is fully resolved. The patent office denied the request this month. Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post comes from ZDNet Asia.

“Richard Talbot, general manager of Sapphire Technologies Singapore, said technologies that enjoyed very high levels of demand in the past but are now less “fashionable” include COBOL, CICS, DB2, AS400, RPG, PowerBuilder and VMS.

“Most of these technologies fall into the legacy systems capacity and are being replaced by more modern technologies,” Talbot told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail interview.

“Take IBM mainframe systems as an example–once the hub of all the major banks, many are now looking at or have replaced their core banking systems with modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, from major vendors such as SAP and Oracle. As such, there is little ‘fresh’ development on these systems,” he explained. “The focus is more on maintenance until they are replaced, so demand is definitely not as great as it was a few years ago.”

E. Balaji, CEO of India-based HR services provider, Ma Foi Management Consultants, said other skills such as Foxpro, Visual Foxpro, Visual Basic and Oracle D2K, have also lost their significance over the past few years.

“In general, most IT skills have not become redundant though there is a fall in the number of onsite assignments and relatively fewer new jobs,” Balaji told ZDNet Asia in an e-mail interview.

“New technologies emerge faster in the IT industry compared to other industries,” he said. He added that demand for some skills will dip as newer technologies come into the market and older ones are phased out, and technologies get upgraded over time.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

A new research report from Eduventures, Inc., Summer Sessions Benchmarks 2008, analyzes benchmark data on core summer session operations and administrative functions, program offerings, and institutional characteristics at U.S. colleges and universities. The study - a foundational, first-year, annual effort - is designed to enable administrators of college and university summer sessions to assess the performance of their programs, make evidence-based decisions with regard to resource allocations, and enhance strategy and program development.

According to Sean Gallagher, Program Director and Senior Analyst at Eduventures, summer session programs provide important benefits to colleges as well as the students they serve: they accelerate degree completion, extend the reach and visibility of institutions within their communities, offer opportunities for testing new products, and generate vital revenue.

The benchmarking report provides insight into broad areas associated with college and university summer session operations, including scale and growth patterns, student audiences served, scheduling and formats, financial and operational metrics, marketing budgets and strategies, student services, and best practices.

Key findings of the report include the following:

• Summer session units’ structure, size, and institutional reporting relationships vary greatly. The median size of summer sessions staff is three FTEs (full-time equivalents) and ranges from 1.5 to 20 FTEs. The vast majority of schools participating in the study also have a winter session that is managed by the same unit as summer session.
• The majority of schools are focused on serving home students, who make up 78% of headcount, on average. Visiting students and continuing education/adult students are two other key audiences.
• Ten academic disciplines account for nearly two-thirds (63%) of for-credit program offerings; the largest components of members’ portfolios include offerings in disciplines such as education, social sciences, physical sciences, and business. Non-credit offerings tend to be concentrated in fewer disciplines.
• The vast majority of schools’ courses are offered in a traditional, face-to-face format, with online and hybrid courses making up a relatively small share of course offerings. A number of schools indicate that online education has been a major growth vehicle.
• Summer session units are generating healthy levels of income (averages for 2007 income, as well as expense levels are included in the report) and income appears to be growing in many cases.

“This research project is unique in that it provides benchmark data across many operational and strategic dimensions,” said Gallagher. “It will help colleges position their summer session programs relative to peer institutions, evaluate their product portfolios and audiences of focus, compare institutional summer sessions income and expenses, and identify those marketing and communications strategies that will be most effective in increasing awareness and growth.”Summer Sessions Benchmarks 2008 is available to members of the Eduventures Summer Sessions Learning Collaborative, a research consortium that assists members in identifying best management practices, benchmarking performance, and improving the functioning of core processes.

About Eduventures, Inc.
Eduventures is the industry leader in shared-cost, data-driven research and consulting for higher education. Eduventures is dedicated to helping colleges and universities become more efficient and successful institutions. More than 300 higher education institutions participate in one or more of Eduventures’ eight Learning Collaboratives: Academic Leadership, Continuing and Professional Education, Development, Enrollment Management, Online Higher Education, Schools of Education, Student Affairs, and Summer Sessions. Membership benefits include Collaborative Research Reports on current trends and issues, Custom Analysis, and Implementation Support, including opportunities to network with fellow professionals. Additionally, Eduventures provides consulting and management services to colleges and universities, drawing upon market research, data analysis, and best practices developed through the company’s Learning Collaboratives. More about Eduventures can be found at www.eduventures.com.

This article is from Articles Beyond Better and was written by Andy West. “The choice for online continuing education for adults is now easier to make than ever. The Internet has done a superb job of leveling the playing field for those looking to break into a new career or increase their earning potential without interrupting the schedule of already busy lives. The flexibility and versatility that online education allows ensures that this method of learning will be around for years to come.

Many adults already live full lives and the idea of re-entering a classroom environment after a long absence can be daunting. Yet at the same time, many find the need to have a career that is fulfilling or to open doors in their current vocation. The last thing a working adult who is already balancing home and family wants or needs is an extra schedule to try and fit onto their plate.

That is why online learning is the choice that allows even the busiest of persons to easily earn their degree without missing a single step in their own life. Moreover, the lessons not only come at a time that is more comfortable for the student but in a place they are most comfortable learning. With a comfortable learning environment, the student is able to better retain the material and curriculum.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post contains a link to a neat little slide show by Inc.com.

“Today, 850 million computers exist worldwide, 71% more than in 2000, according to eTForecasts, a market research form. By 2010, eTForecasts predicts 1.4 billion computers will be up and running. And, from 2000 to 2010, the worldwide share of wireless computers is expected to grow from 19% to 55%, which means that over 2 billion people — roughly a quarter of the world — could be online by the end of this decade.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, output by the Internet service industry is expected to grow 10.3% per year, the highest among all industries. Job growth projected in the industry from 2002 to 2012 is impressive as well, at 46.2%, which put it in the top five amongst all industries.” Click here to view the slide show on the top ten industries.

This post comes from the New England Board of Higher Education. “The Summer 2008 issue, published in July, features a “Going Digital” forum with articles examining today’s “Digital Natives,” the role of Web 2.0 technologies in teaching, admissions and student services, and new ways that digital technologies have allowed institutions to disseminate content.

The issue also explores how state policy changes can increase the rate of student success at community colleges, the unique benefits of studying on a small campus and the importance of enriching summer experiences for secondary school students.” Click here to learn what the summer issue includes.

This post comes from Market Watch.

“Online Job Searchers, those adults who have conducted an employment search online during the past month, represent a youthful, educated, racially diverse group, according to consumer and media research firm Scarborough Research. Scarborough finds that Online Job Searchers are 62 percent more likely than the total adult population to be ages 18-34; 23 percent more likely to have at least some college education; and 47 percent more likely to be African-American.

Scarborough also finds that San Francisco and Norfolk, VA are the leading markets for Online Job Searchers. Sixteen percent of consumers in these markets searched online for employment during the past month, versus the national average of 12 percent.

People already employed full-time or part-time are more likely to conduct online job searches then those who are not employed. While the majority of employed Online Job Searchers are white collar (68 percent), about one-third (32 percent, or almost seven million) are blue collar. Online Job Searchers tend to come from mid- to upper-income households. Even though they are already well-educated, Online Job Searchers have a thirst for more knowledge or career advancement. They are nearly two and a half times more likely than adults overall to plan to go back to school during the next year, and 63 percent more likely to have engaged in an adult continuing education program during the past year.” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post comes from US News. “Often, when someone is having serious performance issues and in danger of losing their job, they simply do…nothing. Sometimes it’s denial about the severity of the situation, but other times people just feel helpless to change anything. If you’re getting signals that your job may be in jeopardy, however, doing nothing is about the worst thing you can do. Instead, here are some ways to take control of the situation and turn it into something more manageable:” Click here to read the rest of this article.

This post comes from MarketWatch.

“The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) today announced the publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Priority of Service for veterans and eligible spouses. The proposed regulations apply to “any workforce preparation, development or delivery program or service that is directly funded, in whole or in part, by the Department of Labor,” as provided by the Jobs for Veterans Act (P.L. 107-288), enacted in 2002.

“Priority of service is an important acknowledgment of the sacrifices of the men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces,” said Charles Ciccolella, assistant secretary of labor for VETS. “The department’s strategic vision for priority of service honors veterans and eligible spouses of veterans as our heroes at home, and envisions that the employment and training programs funded by the department, including the workforce investment system, will identify, inform and deliver comprehensive services to veterans and eligible spouses as part of their strategic workforce development activities across the country.”

The Veterans’ Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-461) followed-up on the Jobs for Veterans Act by requiring the department to issue regulations governing the application of priority of service. The majority of the department’s programs to which the proposed regulations will apply are administered by the Employment and Training Administration. The notice of proposed rulemaking offers citizens and interested organizations an opportunity to submit comments for consideration by the department prior to the publication of final regulations.” Click here to read the rest of this article.