EmployBridge, the nation's largest industrial staffing company, announced that it is partnering with online learning and skills training leader Penn Foster to launch Better WorkLife Academy, making a wide array of free career-focused courses available to its Associates across the country.

"This initiative to underwrite courses on behalf of our Associates reinforces our company goal to help those who work with us to improve their skills, earn higher pay and better their lives," said Tom Bickes, CEO, EmployBridge. "And by partnering with Penn Foster, a prominent force in the education community, we can also do our part to address the skills gap that continues to cause labor market challenges."

According to Bickes, the skills gap and related problems will not just go away on their own.  He cited a just-released National Governors Association paper on workforce development which said that "business leaders throughout our nation warn of a skills crisis due to the lack of qualified workers to fill the high-skilled jobs of tomorrow."

Penn Foster, a leading provider of skills development training and credentials for today's frontline workforce, delivers its courses in a self-paced, competency-based model wrapped by comprehensive academic, professional and personal support and coaching.

The Penn Foster courses to be offered to EmployBridge Associates in the newly created Better WorkLife Academy include a mix of logistics, manufacturing, and clerical offerings, each selected due to relevance in advancing an individual's pay and improving his or her future job prospects and to help meet the skills needs of today's most in-demand jobs.

"We've identified the industries that have the highest demand for skilled individuals, and we've worked with Penn Foster to develop a course list to best fit that demand," said Brian Devine, Senior Vice President, EmployBridge. "Associates who step forward to take advantage of these courses will not only be increasing their skills in a particular area, they will be revealing focus, discipline and a dedication to self-improvement."

"Our flexible course options enable partners to create a curriculum offering that meets their specific upskilling needs," said Frank Britt, CEO, Penn Foster. "We're very excited to be supporting EmployBridge, a premier brand in the specialty staffing industry, as they begin to roll out this timely initiative."